


GROUND CONTROL!

by illwoosion



Series: space oddity! [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Gen, Greek Mythology - Freeform, M/M, Navigator!Yeosang, OT8, astronauts! ateez, astronomer n all round cutie! san, chef!jongho, commander!hongjoong, doctor!mingi, engineer!wooyoung, herbologist!yunho, how do i tag uhh, probably angst, second in command! seonghwa, the ships will be changed as i figure out wtf goes on, this is gonna be a long ass ride, yep thats it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:16:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23722231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illwoosion/pseuds/illwoosion
Summary: the year is 2120.eight astronauts are about to embark on mission EXPT-1117, codename: SUNRISE.their mission: SAVE THE UNIVERSE.
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: space oddity! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1708633
Comments: 23
Kudos: 80





	1. 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼: long journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "got the universe on your side."

**OCTOBER 17TH, 2118 A.D.**  
— _KQ SPACE ADMINISTRATION._

"director kim, you asked to see me?"

"officer park? yes, take a seat, please."

a tall man steps into the head director's brightly-lit office (the intense white lights are blinding, and he has to refrain himself from reacting too dramatically from them) with shoes that bounce and cushion his silent steps. he's wearing a royal blue jumpsuit- the standard _KQSA_ uniform for all training pilots. though, by taking one glance at him, you'd never guess he was the **head training officer** for aspiring astronauts preparing for flight.

he seemed more fit to be on the cover of _vogue_ , or perhaps clutching a diamond sceptre and expecting a crown to be placed on top of his jet-black hair.

maybe these were the reasons he was well respected by officers alike, and why it was so easy for him, as head training officer, to produce the best pilots the world had ever seen. he liked his job, and was damn good at it, too.

his name is **park** **seonghwa** , codename: **mars**.

he makes sure the satisfactory _click_ of the door locking is heard before sitting at the desk where the head director is waiting.

it's important to show a professional cover to the rest of the agency, and keep their friendship behind closed (preferably, locked) doors. this is where titles are dropped, and the term ' _friends_ ' is much more fitting than ' _co_ - _workers_ '.

(the two men did this to ensure their safety- _KQSA_ was a national government administration well connected with korea's head politicians, which meant there were far too many workers with bad motives than good. seonghwa has only joined the agency to follow his childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut, and he'd be damned if he were to be roped into one of the government's many untrustworthy schemes.)

the head director smiles warmly at seonghwa, his steely manner from a few seconds ago instantly dissipating.

his name is **kim** **yonghwan** , codename: **eden**.

"am i here for business, or for a break?" seonghwa asks with a similar, teasing grin.

"business, i'm afraid. but it's the interesting stuff, don't worry."

"...mission sunrise?" seonghwa questions hesitantly. from the lit-up expression and humourous quirk of eyebrows from the elder, it's clear he's hit the jackpot. eden flits through numerous files and folders- complicated data that seonghwa could never wrap his head around on his own, and what makes eden's skills as **head** **director** of the agency so admirable.

though eden isn't the boss, and there are a hundred higher-ups that earn more than both their salaries combined in the business ladder, he does most of the work. this is shown by the many file cabinets stacked behind him and his heavily stained coffee mug sat beside his computer, with the beverage neglected and cold.

the files land in front of seonghwa with a heavy _thud_. he picks up the first on the pile curiously and reads.

it's the mission plan and route and specifics of the research mission that they (himself, eden, and a couple dozen others) have been planning for the past two years.

it's known as mission **EXPT** - **1117** , codename: **SUNRISE**.

the mission itself was pretty discreet; unknown to the public, but amongst the interest of all training pilots and officers at the agency. the impact of the research from it would be monumental, and extremely vital for all citizens on earth.

that's all people knew about mission sunrise. _correction_ : all except the higher-ups, eden, and seonghwa- they'll be the only people to know, until they pick the eight astronauts required to carry out the secretive mission.

_speaking of which..._

"we've been given the all-clear to put in placements for the sunrise team," eden reveals with barely-concealed excitement. the rest of the files, seonghwa discovers, are trainee profiles of the men and women most qualified and suitable for the task. most of them are filled with faces seonghwa recognises, what with training hundreds of cadets over the course of three years. they were all his best students, he notices, though he wouldn't expect anything less; this mission required officers with at least two years of experience under their belt, and top qualifications.

now he understands why his usual training schedule got cut off so abruptly.

they spend hours scouring over profiles, checking achievements and degrees and performing vigorous background checks. by the end of their session, when the sun topples over the precipice of nightfall, the ' _not-so-suitable_ ' pile of profiles they've produced looms well over their heads, and a modest pile of seven, timid folders are left.

"the mission requires _eight_ officers," eden states, clicking his pen irritably. his eyebrows are furrowed and his lips are screwed tightly together, pursed in deep concentration. they're both exhausted (an hour ago, they'd resorted to sitting cross-legged on the cramped floor space, tangled between chair-legs and tables and file cabinets), both men's shoulders slumped and legs numb from the lack of movement. but even if he wanted to, it'd be impossible to get up and walk around to stretch his legs- the towering pile of files makes sure of that.

seonghwa sighs and grabs the last file he'd chucked onto the 'unsuitable' pile, flicking through it exasperatedly.

"you're not telling me, out of _a_ _hundred_ trainees, only _seven_ of them are suitable for this damned mission?" his friend only groans in response, hand rubbing his eyes furiously.

it doesn't take long for seonghwa to give up, too. he tosses the file back to it's rightful spot on top of the tower. from the angle at which seonghwa is looking at it, it seems to be mocking them, with it's incredible height and unhelpfulness.

"grab _my_ file." sighing in response, eden tiredly rummages through the second drawer of one of the many grey filing cabinets lining the wall, until he's satisfied with a beige folder identical to the ones strewn across the linoleum floor.

seonghwa opens it and plucks the mission specification from under his knee, searching his own file for qualifications that match those on the specification.

"you're not actually thinking of doing it, are you?" his friend asks with his eyes closed, hand resting upon his weary face. the judgement has no bite to it, however, and seonghwa provides no answer.

ten minutes pass.

" _i'll_ _do_ _it_." eden opens his eyes slowly. if he's surprised, or shocked, or against his decision, seonghwa wouldn't know- eden shows indifference.

"if you're sure." and that's that. seonghwa, at twenty-three years old, is well capable of making his own choices, and perhaps this is the surest he's ever been since starting his job here four years ago.

four years ago, he'd joined the agency determined to leave it with at least a couple medals and his name in the astronaut hall of fame. and then he'd been asked to carry on there as head training officer, since he was one of the best officers they'd ever seen since 2020, and well, _who_ _was he to say no to an offer like that?_

he never made it to the moon, or even outside the earth's atmosphere, but now was his chance.

his childhood dream could be a couple years away.

"okay, so, i'm gonna write the names down and send them to head office, then we can go interview the team afterwards," eden says absent-mindedly, sitting down at his desk and tapping away at a noisy keyboard. with their combined unspoken work ethic, seonghwa goes to review the other seven officers again. surprisingly, he hasn't taught many of them- they're some of the only fresh faces seonghwa has seen amongst the lineup.

the first file reveals **kim hongjoong** , codename: **lucky**.

he'd achieved his mandatory bachelor's degrees with ease, and seonghwa briefly remembers training with him back in the day. they're the same age, so it'd be good for friendships to spark easily whilst stuck god knows where in the middle of space.

his description is extremely clear: three years experience, perfect leadership qualities, excels in all tasks, eager to improve, strives to do his best in everything required from him.

that's who himself and eden have chosen **commander** of the spacecraft.

the slightly faded profile picture adorned on the top left corner of the file stares back at seonghwa with the standard, serious expression. _looks like he agrees with them_ , seonghwa likes to think.

the next profile shows a younger boy, but equally as certified for the job. it bears the name **jeong yunho** , codename: **uno**.

two years of experience and most qualified in biology, botany, and at heart, a scientist. even though all the trainees in the agency's system are all physically trained as pilots, it was vital for the mission to include cadets suited for certain postions on board the spacecraft.

he'll no doubt be the **herbologist** on board.

the profiles fly by his eyes, each person perfectly suited and respectable for the mission.

there's **kang yeosang** , codename: **seraph**.

a specialised **navigator** , quick-thinker, and thanks to two years of training, faultless in planning the courses they'll take through space. he's also skilled in steering, which'll be useful for seonghwa, who's planning to do most of that when the time comes. he's also nicknamed 'seraph' due to his ' _god-like visuals'_ (seonghwa takes one glance at his profile picture, and he cannot agree more with the fitting name).

the **chief** **scientist** will be **choi san** , codename: **byeol**.

according to his file, his knowledge in astronomy in unparalleled compared to the rest of them, despite the two years of experience and being a year younger than him. he's passionate about his job, and qualified in navigation.

there's one file in particular, however, that catches seonghwa eye.

it's **song** **mingi** , codename: **red**.

his history reveals he has hands-on experience on board a spacecraft, contrary to the rest of them. it'd been a small mission, a research team of sorts, and he'd been commander. seonghwa remembers fragments of the story; the mission had been aborted way too early due to what's harshly printed under his profile picture as 'mental instability'. (to everyone in _KQSA_ , this was briefly translated to 'incompetency' to some officers.)

he skims through lengthy descriptions of diagnosed anxiety and therapy provided by the health team at the agency. from what he gathers, the leadership role was too stressful and pressurising for the poor twenty-two year old. other than that, he was well suited for the job.

in fact, he was _over_ - _qualified_ , if that were possible. seonghwa's sure this boy was a mastermind, with PhD degrees in just about everything required for an astronaut, as well as a couple medical degrees. in the notes section of his file, mingi specifically requests to be a **doctor** , if the occurrence of a mission appears.

which is exactly what seonghwa and eden will grant him.

the next boy is **jung wooyoung** , codename: **raven**.

his profile reads ' **data** **control** team', proud and simple. a mechanical genius, a qualified engineer, and in charge of the controls, safety and research data that the mission is dependant on. seonghwa thinks he might've seen him around a few times, but he certainly didn't work in the same department as him. the name 'raven' suggests the boy to be somewhat of a flirt, and his extremely handsome ID picture seems to emphasise that assumption.

lastly, there's **choi jongho** , codename: **siren**.

now here's a face seonghwa recognises; a year ago, one of the training officers had retired due to the health problems being an astronaut brought on, meaning that his training team had to merge with seonghwa's. he'd trained jongho for a year, and if he were to expect any of his students to make the sunrise team, it'd be this boy. since he was a bit younger than the others (two years younger than himself, at an impressive twenty years old), eden has decided he'd be on the team mainly for hands-on experience, just to get him in the field. though he's beyond qualified as a pilot, he'd serve mainly as the **nutritionist** and health expert whilst in space. in seonghwa's opinion, jongho was a boy too mature for his age, and this mission would be fantastic opportunity for him to showcase his skills. plus, he'd be brilliant entertainment on-board; if not an astronaut, seonghwa was certain jongho could pass off as a kpop idol. his singing talents were, dare he say, _astronomical_.

seonghwa takes a moment to breathe, and then reads his own profile. he's never actually seen it before, but it contains nothing he doesn't already know.

**park** **seonghwa** , codename: **mars**.

head training officer, twenty-two years old, specialises in flight and data control. level-headed, and like hongjoong, has perfect leadership qualities. nicknamed 'mars' from his name inverted (hwaseong) meaning 'mars' (seonghwa always thoroughly enjoyed the irony of his nickname correlating with his job). his photo stares back at him in black and white ink, expressionless like the others.

he can't believe he's doing this.

eden presses a button on his worn-out keyboard with dramatic finality.

"all sent!" seonghwa's just as excited as eden, who's grinning from ear to ear and staring at the document bearing the astronauts' names with pride.

they both know what comes next.

_team_ **_sunrise_ ** _is set to board the spacecraft_ **_aurora_ ** _for lift-off in_ _ two years time. _

until then, seonghwa can only train harder than he's ever done before for mission sunrise- _the journey of a lifetime._

**_—_ ** ****

**_start book?_**  
**yes** **|** no

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> // hello to whoever's reading this! i'm currently writing this under lockdown due to the covid-19 virus, so hopefully this break gives me plenty of time to write a good story! this idea's been bouncing around my head for a while now, so it's about time i sat down to actually work on it haha!  
> if all goes well, this au will be split into two parts, and long! so forgive me if updates are slow :0  
> thank you for clicking on this book and reading this!! it means a lot :D take care and stay safe!
> 
> (sidenote: i have absolutely no knowledge of aeronautics or astronomy at all, so if anything is wrong please bear with me!! i know literally zero technical terms and most of my basis of spaceships are from doctor who lmao!! hopefully this'll still be enjoyable :D)
> 
> twitter: @jonghocafe  
> wattpad: @1117MIN


	2. all aboard spacecraft aurora!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "got the universe on your side."

**OCTOBER 24TH, 2120 A.D.**

_—KQ SPACE ADMINISTRATION._

_orange definitely isn't his colour_ , seonghwa thinks, picking at the velcro on his jumpsuit pockets.

_today is the day._

the day eight boys have circled on their calendars in violent red marker- the day they board the spacecraft _aurora;_ they've been through the protocol a million and one times, spoken to seemingly everyone in the entire agency, and said their final goodbyes to their family. seonghwa, like the rest of his team, has traded in his comfortable royal blue jumpsuit for a neon orange, a rare sight officers only get to see once every few years. he may as well have worn a huge sign reading " _i'm going off to space in a bit!_ "

mission sunrise, or as mingi had affectionately dubbed, mission ' _save_ _the_ _universe_ ' was a lot easier said than done. the journey they were about to embark on was estimated to take **fourteen years and six months** to complete. from earth, they would travel to each planet to collect and analyse data, and send back reports to the _KQSA_ and government scientists.

by gathering resources, collecting data and developing a better understanding about their vast universe, with the new technology _KQSA_ scientists have been working on, they had the power change the entire human population to adapt to live on other planets.

that was the ultimate goal- keep the human species alive for billions of years, well after this generation was dead. over the past few decades, humans, as a whole, have become exceedingly greedy and ravenous for more time. technology was advancing at an unprecedented pace, and the human race wanted more power, and to reign over the universe that was made too complicated for them to try to understand.

(he believes the fear of the unknown is what made the human race so power-crazy, and why everyone was so fixated upon the outcome of this mission.)

the sun will explode in approximately five billion years, once the hydrogen fuel at it's core is exhausted. scientists aimed to push the time to six billion, then to ten, and with the recent technology produced by the secret _china-korea space alliance_ (an under-wraps deal to work together to keep the species going), the higher-ups at _KQSA_ were determined to find a way for humans to thrive for as long as possible.

this would be achieved by moving to different planets further away from the sun; as the sun grows hotter and hotter, earth will become less habitable. in five billion years, the sun will begin it's helium-burning process, and in turn, transform into a red giant star. whilst this process will kill all life forms on mercury, venus, and earth, it may allow life to finally thrive on other planets.

 _earth on mars,_ the head scientist used to tell seonghwa, _or earth on europa, or enceladus, or even neptune._

the research on the solar system team sunrise would be gathering would aid scientists to figure out how to advance future generations and find ways to make them adapt to life on the other planets. seonghwa doesn't know exactly how (he's not the government's head scientist, funnily enough), but word had spread through the agency that they'd found a way to rewrite DNA ( _that's just a rumour, though_ ).

and who knows? this data could help find ways to even save the universe. the possibilities were endless, and seonghwa's heart can't help but quicken it's pace at that thought.

seonghwa, in his spare time, likes to read about past exploratory space missions that've changed the world, mostly from _NASA_. a hundred years ago, they were the biggest space administration, but _KQSA_ had quickly stolen that title, and the government had been more lenient on budget cuts, since this mission would be highly beneficial for the world, so mission sunrise had been granted all the supplies and more they could ever need.

a hundred years ago, mission sunrise would take _double the amount of years_ to complete. seonghwa doesn't think he could handle twenty-nine years in space (that amount of time is older than him!), so he's glad technology has allowed them to make this journey. it's _fascinating_.

maybe seonghwa is starting to understand the power-hungry craze over technology and time.

"honestly, my biggest worry about being in space for so long is my abs disappearing! i spent two years crafting these beauties, _and_ _for_ _what_? i'm gonna show them to all of you every day on the spacecraft, just so you'll never forget them!" choi san exclaims beside him, forcing seonghwa out of his daze. he pats his toned (orange-clad) stomach for emphasis, and the seven boys around him chuckle.

after that fateful day in eden's office, seonghwa had given in his notice for his job position the day after, claiming he couldn't train himself for the mission and a hundred other cadets together (which was only partly true). the refreshing change in routine seemed to gift back his years of hard work, and becoming ex-head trainer had never been so freeing.

moreover, meeting the rest of the team in real life was a surreal experience, and even now, seonghwa cannot believe these are the men he'll spend almost fifteen years with through a void.

kim hongjoong was just as he'd remembered him- short, serious, but easy-going. seonghwa could get exhausted just by watching him train; he was a powerhouse of determination and willpower. as people of the same age, they'd gotten along like a house on fire (seonghwa hadn't anticipated how handsome the other had become over the years, though). during the two years of mission preparation training, they'd become somewhat of a domestic duo, and worked well together in scolding the others. he was much better than the rest at bringing hongjoong out of his introverted shell, and even though he was still extremely closed off and private, seonghwa was sure that over the next fourteen years, they'll become family.

what seonghwa hadn't anticipated was bringing a giant puppy on-board. jeong yunho was the human embodiment of energy and enthusiasm, and made the chores of training much more enjoyable by introducing small games that often lead to seonghwa carrying out the penalty (his body will never forgive the shot glass of soy sauce he'd had to down for finishing their one-hundred push-ups last). having yunho around was like keeping a miniature version of the sun.

seonghwa had to admit that training in such a small group with choi jongho had been weird at first, since he'd been one of seonghwa's students. but they'd become strong friends quicker than any friendship formed during that first week of introductory training, and now, he'd developed somewhat of a maternal instinct towards the boy (even if jongho could easily pick up seonghwa and throw him across the room like he weighed nothing). if there were anything stronger than his biceps, then it'd be his vocal chords- seonghwa's seceretly excited for the concerts he'll get to experience through the vaccuum.

and if anybody had a stronger set of lungs than jongho, then it'd be jung wooyoung- the man who could rival the volume of any smoke alarm on earth. seonghwa's patience (and ear drums) had now been reinforced to adapt to any kind of situation, and he has wooyoung to thank for that. he's loud, obnoxious, but kind and respectful (and he should mention flirtatious as hell), and is like an annoying little brother to him, since he's so adamant on teasing seonghwa at every minute he can get.

kang yeosang was still, after two years, an enigma to seonghwa. quiet, serious, sarcastic, and was never afraid to tell people the truth, no matter how much it hurt. it turned out that yeosang was not just a pretty face, and had the quickest wits on the team. one of seonghwa's fondest memories with him were when the names of team sunrise had been announced, and both men and women has cornered yeosang into a crowd of dispair and last-minute confessions. seonghwa had coincidentally passed the crowd, and had to fish the poor boy out once he saw the terrified expression on his face. needless to say, the team has snacked on pepero sticks and chocolate for weeks. funnily enough, seonghwa felt like he still didn't know much about the man, but he's got plenty of time to learn about him now.

everyone had no doubt developed a soft spot for choi san, the team's softie. he was kind, innocent and compassionate, and gave out a million hugs a day for free. he was the team's unassigned motivator, always supporting them in whichever way he could (wether it be through positive words, or his infamous cherry-chocolate cookies). sometimes, when seonghwa catches san outside the training room, he finds san sitting outside or at a window staring at the sky, lost in his own thoughts. he always seems to be in his own little world, and seonghwa can't help but still be wildly inquisitive over the boy.

seonghwa thinks song mingi would've been an interesting choice for commander- he was a juxtaposition of attitudes; whilst his appearance gave him an intimidating and powerful aura, his personality is soft and quiet. he was like a little flower; delicate and precious. he was patient, reliable, and hellishly smart. if anything, seonghwa thought he was perfect. mingi's only downsides were that he got stressed extremely easily and got lost in his head at the smallest mistakes made (not that he made any- mingi just had terrifically high standards for himself, and the rest of the team usually had to set them straight). mingi needed hugs and warmth, which san was happiest to provide. the aftermath of his failed mission a year prior had affected his confidence majorly, but seonghwa is sure his role as doctor would be most suitable for him (mingi had gone up to seonghwa on the first day of training, bowed lowly to him and thanked him for giving him the position, which was embarrassing at first, but also incredibly endearing.)

"seonghwa? _seonghwa_!" a wooyoung-shaped blur shakes his shoulders, "are you really daydreaming right now? _hello_ , aren't you the second-in-command?" _ah, right._ he'd put himself forward for the position of second-in-command, even though eden had grumbled about preferring him to be the leader. seonghwa gives his most deathly glare at the grinning boy scrunching his eyes tight with glee.

"oh god, i'm gonna puke, this is so exciting!" mingi says breathlessly beside them, and seonghwa agrees. currently, they're in the gear room suiting up; they help each other strap up backpacks and fasten up suits (spacesuits in real life were so goddamn heavy, and seonghwa can barely walk in his hefty spaceboots).

" _wait_! fuck, i didn't say goodbye to director kim!" he exclaims suddenly, head whipping up so fast, he almost snaps his neck. the rest of the boys groan in unison whilst seonghwa scrambles towards the exit.

"tut, tut. park seonghwa, i'm hurt," a monotone voice says as a head pops through the door, " t-minus ten minutes, and you only remembered your old friend now?" seonghwa rolls his eyes at the teasing head director. the rest of the team silently file out of the room, no doubt to give them space. the expression on his friend's face turns serious.

"you remember what i told you?"

"yes. don't worry, i don't trust the higher-ups at _KQSA_ any more than you do. i'll send you private updates weekly, same time as the reports we'll send to head office." their voices have dropped to whispers, and the atmosphere is tense.

both men knew they couldn't trust anyone else in this agency- everyone was either all rotten to the core, or working for the government, and therefore suspicious. neither seonghwa or eden were high enough on the business ladder to be included in the top-secret meetings, in which KQSA's true motives where revealed. sure, the higher-ups might be entirely innocent and mean well in everything they do, but seonghwa knows that most probably, that wasn't the case.

"stay safe out there, okay?" eden murmurs whilst shaking his gloved hand.

" _ditto_." with exchanged nods, both men edit the room.

the long, winding runway leading up to the spaceship forces seonghwa to run (an incredible feat, considering the weight of his helmet and boots) up to the rest of the team. the tv broadcasting team is currently interviewing a steely hongjoong, who's suppressing his nerves a lot better than the jittery boys next to him.

" _t_ - _minus_ _five_ _minutes_!" seonghwa watches hongjoong hastily wrap up his interview, and the camera pans out to show their beloved spacecraft to viewers at home. on the broadcasting moniter, a countdown is visible.

suddenly, seonghwa finds _himself_ on camera- his face is plastered on the screen along with the bold '4:43' in the corner. he plops his helmet on and waves ( _what can he say- he's a_ _natural crowd_ - _pleaser_ ) before following hongjoong into the spaceship.

they've been inside _aurora_ a billion times before for training, but today, the controls feel new and shiny. the doors slide shut and block out the chaos and cacophony of noise outside. despite the looming pressure on all their shoulders (there are a billion eyes on them, and a couple billion more won going into this mission that seonghwa cannot ignore), it's almost peaceful. yeosang cracks his knuckles and takes a seat next to seonghwa. him, yeosang and hongjoong are in charge of the lift-off, as the most qualified, and as seonghwa closes a tight fist around the stick shift, a sense of familiarity and confidence washes over him.

"let's go, boys," hongjoong mutters through his headset as their screen moniter blares the one-minute countdown. the four boys behind them have their eyes glued to the moniters overhead, overseeing the alarms of any problems that may occur. but, dare he say, seonghwa is assertive nothing will go wrong- they're the best astronauts in the agency (if not, the entire world), and he couldn't have asked for a better team. it'll go smoothly- he'll make sure of it himself, if he has to.

the engines fire up, the moniters flash brilliant colours assisting their take-off. the roaring and heat that surrounds them fires up seonghwa's senses, and he's just as nervous as the rest of them. it feels like lightyears of sitting there, until the signal starts, and the three steerers frantically push buttons, pull levels and flip switches.

the pressure on all their ears in excruciatingly painful, but it's a comforting sign that they're high up in the air and nothing has blown up yet. the piercing through the earth's atmosphere is a congratulation in itself, and the worst is over. seonghwa's been biting his lip so hard, it's bleeding. his arms are numb from tensing them so hard, and the whooping and cheering from him behind him filters into white noise. and then, darkness.

he's made it. he's in space. _they're in space._

his body feels like jelly, and the loss of gravity, even though it's familiar, (the anti-gravity simulators are surprisingly accurate) is strangely addicting.

the all-clear is given, and the eight boys simultaneously unbuckle their seatbelts and take off their unnecessary gear.

"we did it, oh my god, we did it!" wooyoung giggles excitedly, his voice high and shrill.

" _we're_ _home_ ," san whispers, more so to himself, but it's impact on everyone else is monumental. he's right, _they're home._

when he was a little child, seonghwa had always loved the idea of humans being made of stardust- it'd been one of the many reasons why he'd wanted to become an astronaut. and now, staring through the windows of their spacecraft (because it's _theirs_ now, for the next fifteen years) and watching the stars blink back at him, everything that'd been leading up to this moment was all worth it.

gosh, seonghwa needed a nap.

with the rest of the team, he scopes the interior of their home in awe, even if they were already attuned with it.

presently, they were all floating in the **central** **bay** , where the moniters and controls to steer the ship sat. the seats they were once strapped in were designed to fold nto the floor (they wouldn't be needing them until landing or taking-off) and now they had space to walk around the large monitors and controls. the oval-shaped room was the biggest in the spaceship and connected all the modules in the ship together. as it's name suggested, it was indeed at the heart of _aurora_ and where they'd hold meetings and so forth.

in each direction, there were four wide doorways, each labelled with a number plastered onto the wall next to them. to the north of the ship, through the door labelled '1', were the **living** **quarters**. module one (hence the label) were where the team could just chill and hang out once they had free time. to the right of the large living quarters (it was a cosy, spacious room where they could float about. without gravity, they had no need for seats) was the **supply** **room** , which was pretty self-explanatory. north of the living quarters was the **kitchen** , where the dehydrated food was stored (jongho's station for the years to come, and where they would stay to eat meals). and on the left, were the **sleeping** **quarters**. it was a long, white hallway lined with four sleeping pods on each side. hongjoong, as commander, had been given a larger pod, and seonghwa is already anticipating the betting games yunho would commence to convince him to swap.

module two, the doorway leading east of the central room, was the science section. the doorway gave way to the expensive and commodious **laboratory** , where they'd carry out experiments and most of their research. two test rooms for more unpredictable experiments and storing specimens wereconnected to it, as well as the comfortable **medical** **bay** that held isolation pods, beds and medical pharmaceuticals.

the entrance to module three, at the south of the centre, introduced the impressive **bio-dome** , where they would be growing vegetables, herbs and plants. (yunho's eyes widen comically each time he visits it, which makes seonghwa chuckle.)

in the west wing, module four, were the most important rooms. the **navigation** **room** was filled with an abundance of electricals, like screens mapping their routes, their co-ordinates, and whereabouts in space. there was constant buzzing and beeping that had to be monitored, and seonghwa was excited to see all of the advanced technology that'd taken years to create. connected to the navigation room was the **communications** **bay** , where all the data and research analysis would be condensed. this would be where they would send messages back to earth, which would be frequent as they were required to send weekly updates and reports on their situation (he says they- it was mainly hongjoong who had to send them, poor guy).

beneath the central room (the treasures the _aurora_ contained seemed to be endless) was the **repair** **room** ; since space was a vaccuum with the temperature constantly changing, they'd have to expect things breaking and going wrong. attached, were emergency escape pods (seonghwa didn't like to visit them too much- he hated thinking about the possibility of the mission going askew) and the **hatch**. the hatch was the exit and entrance into the spaceship.

the _aurora_ was absolutely massive, and seonghwa believes that he won't need to use the gym equipment (located in the laboratory, weirdly) at all during this journey, since it was a workout enough travelling to each module.

"i'm taking a nap. don't wake me up until we actually have to start work," he says, yawning for emphasis. wooyoung pushes his shoulder.

"idiot! we're _all_ taking a nap. it's tiring as hell being an astronaut," he scoffs, floating to the sleeping quarters (watching someone push aggressively through the air is a hilarious sight that seonghwa could never get used to).

"i'll take the first shift. we're not supposed to be making distance until 6:00 anyway. go sleep," hongjoong says, and they all cheer and hug him. hongjoong ducks under the tangle of limbs.

"okay, okay! get _off_ me, go to bed!"

"okay, dad!" they all (except seonghwa) chorus, looking at each other as if they'd rehearsed it (they did). hongjoong groans (but the hint of a smile is tugging at the corners of his lips).

"wake me when you're tired," seonghwa murmers to him, and hongjoong looks as if he's about to object, but stops himself before his words leave his mouth. he reluctantly nods, and seonghwa beams at the man before heading to his pod, ready to fall into a deep slumber.

**—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the first chapter! i hope you guys are enjoying this so far :> if you're reading this, thank you and take care! ily <3


	3. raven & lucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "got the universe on your side."

**OCTOBER 25TH, 2120 A.D.**  
_—AURORA SPACECRAFT._  
[MARS BOUND.]

there are two things seonghwa hadn't expected when he woke up at five in the morning (korean standard time, that is. outside his little circular window, he'd have no fucking clue what the time was).

_number_ _one_ : no matter how many years of training seonghwa had undergone for this mission, he'd never be comfortable floating in a sleeping bag strapped to a wall, instead of actually lying down to sleep. it's weird, but he'll have to get used to it soon.

oh, and _number_ _two_ : he hadn't expected to be shaken out of his slumber by frantic thumping at his pod door, and the propane gas alarm ringing through his head.

"meeting, _now_ \- central bay," he hears from a breathless, panicking hongjoong, who's running down the module banging on each crew member's door. seonghwa winces as the commander's heavy footsteps shake the entire ship, and braces himself for chaos as he walks out, eyes still clouded by sleep.

he's the first to meet the erratic leader in the main room, who's pacing and gnawing at the peeling skin on his finger. he takes one short glance of acknowledgement towards seonghwa before nodding in his direction and turning to tap away furiously at the controls. from the screen, seonghwa can see he's putting modules two, three and four on lockdown. the trapdoor leading to the rooms under the central bay in level two is still open, though. _that's_ _probably where the problem lies_ , seonghwa suspects.

a bleary-eyed san, followed by a groggy wooyoung and yawning yunho file into the room. seonghwa watches hongjoong closely from the corner of his eye, observing his twitchy movements as he fidgets with his hands. he's known for having somewhat of a volcanic temper when under stress, and seonghwa notices the popped vein at his temple, and the way he tugs his lip with his teeth no doubt to prevent himself from yelling at the sluggish mingi, who's last to enter.

"there's a gas leak from the radiator in the repair room. i've put all the other rooms on lockdown, and the central bay is safe, so i'd like you all to stay down here whilst i fix it," hongjoong announces with gritted teeth. he sounds too authorative, too robotic, too structural. whilst seonghwa knows this is hongjoong's role as commander he's fulfilling, he can't help but dislike the stiffness of his tone and movement. without leaving any room for negotiation, the leader opens the trapdoor and climbs (floats, really. it's a comical sight) down to the room containing the leak. the rest of them are too tired to even argue with the commander anyway, but it's not like they want to. they all know how much of a perfectionist hongjoong is, and especially as the commander, a mistake (even if it's as small and manageable as a propane leak from a heater) on the first day (they hadn't even been in space for twenty-four hours) must feel like straight-up hell for the guy.

it takes a solid minute for hongjoong's words to sink in until wooyoung gasps.

"wait... but, _i'm_ the engineer! _hongjoong_!" wooyoung scrambles after him, and the rest of them giggle at wooyoung's revelation. like the others, seonghwa floats mindlessly around the central bay, glancing over at their co-ordinates (they haven't moved yet, since they were supposed to start at six) and reserve fuel-levels. everything seems to be managed and running smoothly, save for the rebellious radiator downstairs.

five minutes is too long for seonghwa to just sit back and not help. he's second-in-command after all, and whilst he trusts hongjoong entirely, he has a itching feeling at the back of his brain that's begging to help him, or at least provide support. besides, whilst all of them are totally qualified to deal with a harmless gas leak, wooyoung's the engineer and can repair things within the blink of an eye, so really, seonghwa's got nothing to worry about.

"i'm going down. if oxygen levels start decreasing, use the intercom," seonghwa states with the most leader-like tone he can manage. san's eyes are half-closed as he nods, and jongho's making the most out of the anti-gravity by floating to try and rest comfortably (he's probably asleep already). it's okay, though; seonghwa knows they've got his back, no matter how tired they are.

he pushes himself down the hole in the floor leading to level two and the repair room. after entering the room, wooyoung had closed the doors, making sure none of the gas escaped. whilst propane is a colourless, odourless gas, over time, it could slowly replace oxygen in the lungs. which obviously, was a huge issue. but the gas masks hanging from walls in each module of the ship meant it wasn't a huge dilemma, and nothing they couldn't handle.

after checking the mask is completely secure on his face, he punches a number code to open the sealed doors and enters the repair room (the doors automatically close themselves). both other officers have their backs to seonghwa, with wooyoung floating behind hongjoong, who's checking the leaky radiator.

"hongjoong, let me _see_ ," wooyoung urges, tapping the commander's shoulder. the latter seems even more distressed than when seonghwa saw him five minutes ago, and from prior experience, seonghwa already anticipates the explosion of anger he'll blow.

"pass me the spanner," he deadpans, ignoring wooyoung's offers to help. seonghwa watches wordlessly as wooyoung grabs the spanner from across the room (with the noisy fizzing sound of releasing gas filling the room, neither boys have noticed his arrival).

"commander, i really think you should let me take a look," wooyoung pleads yet again, refusing to give in to hongjoong's outstretched hand. hongjoong doesn't even look at wooyoung; he's too busy inspecting the leak.

"raven- spanner, _now_." wooyoung freezes and seonghwa's eyes widen.

every officer under _KQSA_ was obligated to give themselves a codename of maximum two syllables. these were to be used for reports or emergencies over intercom, hence the short names. and whilst they all got to pick their own and, _yeah_ , having a codename was pretty damn cool, everyone had agreed they could be extremely dehumanising at times.

during the two years of training between the eight crew members, they'd all made an unspoken pact to never use the names unless it was a joke (which was rare- all codenames were to be taken seriously, in light of an emergency) or in a life-or-death situation.

but seonghwa supposes hongjoong hadn't got that memo.

wooyoung shoves the spanner harshly against the elder's extended palm and storms past seonghwa out the exit. he glances at him for just a split second, yet the furious rage and anger the boy radiates is overwhelming and slightly frightening.

so much for a perfect first day.

even through closed doors, seonghwa can hear wooyoung aggressively tear off his gas mask as he heads back up into the central bay. wooyoung isn't known much for having temper (they leave that to their captain), but he is an extremely loyal friend, and seonghwa suspects the reason why wooyoung is so upset is because the easy use of codename showed hongjoong didn't care for wooyoung as a friend as much as he did.

hongjoong, even as commander, had always been a little closed off from the rest of the group; mostly swapping group outings with more training, and engaging less in physical affection than the others. even though seonghwa can't blame hongjoong for his introverted ways, he does believe he can help hongjoong connect with the group more- so far, hongjoong seems the most comfortable being left alone in a room with him (or maybe that was because he was his second-in-command), and seonghwa thinks he's the only one who sees hongjoong's small, insecure frown when he doesn't understand an inside joke shared between the rest of them whilst he was gone.

seonghwa doesn't believe hongjoong even realises wooyoung left the room.

hongjoong tightens a bolt on the radiator with an excruciating squeak. the hissing slowly dissipates, leaving the room back to it's usual silence, save for the comforting whirring of machinery around them. he reaches over the wall to flip the fan switch- after a couple hours, all the toxic propane gas in the air will evaporate into the air. but for now, the repair room was out of bounds, so they should pray nothing else breaks. through his mask, hongjoong sighs in relief.

" _hongjoong_ - _ah_ , that was a bit harsh," seonghwa says calmly, and the other's head snaps to look at him. his shoulders tense up, and then relax at the familiar face (seonghwa really does believe that in hongjoong's past life, he must've been a cat- the way he reacts is too feline-like to be fully human).

"what?" he asks obliviously, walking to the doors. they file out of the room together and hang up their masks (the door has a vaccuum seal, so none of the gas can escape). wooyoung, in his tantrum, has closed the trapdoor, so seonghwa types the number code to open it. the door hisses gently as it slowly opens for them.

"earlier, with wooyoung. you know we shouldn't call each other by codenames. it's too professional," seonghwa replies. he speaks serenely to hongjoong, hoping his words teach rather than scold. he feels like he's almost talking to a child.

"i was caught up in the moment," he counters nonchalantly, rolling his shoulders after the stress he'd been under, "i'm sure wooyoung-ie understands."

"hongjoong, he was really upset. you should apologise, you know we can't afford arguments whilst we do _this_." seonghwa gestures vaguely around them. if they had to terminate the mission because of a few petty fights and misunderstandings between them, the bosses at _KQSA_ and their wallets wouldn't be too happy.

"hm." hongjoong clearly isn't listening as seonghwa follows him through the central bay (it's empty- no doubt the other members had scattered to avoid tension so early in the morning) and into control bay. he ignores seonghwa's presence as he flips switches (seonghwa suspects he's re-opening the separate room doors after putting them on lockdown, so he clicks a button hongjoong needs to reach over him to press) and checks vitals and oxygen levels.

" _hongjoong_."

hongjoong finally faces him properly and pauses his fiddling. the sound of clicking and whirring and beeping (all good signals) fill the silence and slight awkwardness around them. seonghwa shoots hongjoong a pointed look he already knows the meaning of: _relax_.

with reluctance, he sighs and rubs his shoulders, soothing his tense muscles holding up the pressure from an hour ago. he inhales and exhales with his eyes shut.

(just like seonghwa taught him to last year.)

"you understand why wooyoung was so upset, right?" he questions, quirking his eyebrow sternly. moments like these remind seonghwa he really is the eldest on the team.

"yes," the commander sighs, but seonghwa doesn't relent, silently demanding more of an explanation.

"i know i shouldn't have used the codename, i was just really stressed." he takes a deep breath. "you know how much this means to me, and i'll be damned if something goes wrong on this mission-" he voice breaks a bit, and his eyes glisten. seonghwa cautiously places a hand on hongjoong's shoulder (this was new territory- seonghwa never really touches him, and he doesn't really understand why he's doing this).

"we're gonna spend fifteen years on this ship, hongjoong. you're gonna make mistakes, but that's why the rest of us are here. don't be so harsh on yourself, or the others. you don't deserve that, and neither does wooyoung." he nods, hanging his head (with this action, hongjoong's head is almost resting on seonghwa's arm, and seonghwa doesn't think he's noticed. hongjoong hates unnecessary touching).

"using the codename was too far. you know how seriously wooyoung takes it. don't you consider us as your friends?" seonghwa continues. hongjoong hesitates, and seonghwa feels like he's been scalded. he wants take his hand back.

"i do. i just- it's just hard for me to trust others. i know we've spent two years training together, but i've never had that many friends before." he isn't crying, but it sounds like he's holding his breath. "i'm just used to being detached with people."

before seonghwa can say anything, hongjoong pushes himself away from seonghwa and chuckles. seonghwa furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"it's okay, seonghwa. you don't have to look after me. _god_ , i must look really pathetic right now." he chuckles some more. seonghwa really doesn't know what to say.

"the least you can do is apologise to wooyoung and explain yourself, alright? stop being so harsh on yourself. calm down, the rest of us are capable too," he says, finalising the conversation. his words are meant to be comforting, reassuring, and he's ready to watch hongjoong walk away and sort out his problems, but instead, the younger narrows his eyes and stares right at seonghwa, stony and steely and... offended? seonghwa's heart freezes.

"i never said you weren't capable. i know you are. _don't put words into my mouth_ ," he says quietly, but the words crash loudly around seonghwa's ears like bombs. he opens his mouth, ready to defend himself, but hongjoong is out of the room like a light before he can refute, disappearing from seonghwa's vision as quick as lightning.

he sighs, the quiet whirring around him in the control bay soothing his growing headache. he was usually the one to comfort all the members when they were having a hard time, especially hongjoong, and now he'd fucked that up.

hongjoong wasn't one to forget so easily, too. seonghwa's lucky if he can salvage the relationship he has with him, but the future is looking bleak. and he hopes hongjoong manages to solve his issue with wooyoung too- hongjoong's never been too comfortable with loud people.

he watches the stars twinkle at him through the window, winking back playfully at him. seonghwa's not really in the mood to play, though, so he busies himself with the information booklets (rules and regulations, terms and conditions- boring stuff). to clear his head, seonghwa would grab a book and de-stress in the living quarters (during his short stay, he's already found the room has the best view of earth right now), but the thought of running into hongjoong accidentally right now makes him nauseous (and the thought of throwing up in a spacecraft with nowhere to to vomit makes it his stomach feel _worse_ ).

then, san arrives into the room, changed from his standard-issued white sleepwear to their neon orange uniform and eyeing seonghwa timidly. seonghwa's embarrased to say he's still in his white jumpsuit-pajamas, but the call for six o'clock hasn't rang yet, so there's no need to rush, he figures. seonghwa smiles at the astronomer, who floats next to him to check the current star alignments.

"what happened?" he asks with a whisper and a hint of caution. seonghwa sighs in response, and san looks at him sympathetically.

"wooyoung was furious when he got out, said something about hongjoong ' _having_ _a_ _stick_ _up_ _his_ _a_ \- butt', or something," he recounts, blushing at the lewd commentary. seonghwa hums with a suppressed chuckle. _sounds like wooyoung._

"hongjoong called him raven," he murmurs back to a bewildered san, "you know how he is when he's stressed. he didn't mean it."

"i know. but, that's harsh, even for hongjoong." seonghwa nods in agreement. codenames carried a significant weight on their heads and made them feel like pawns in the agency's game, and it was something that, when used in everyday passing, particularly got on wooyoung's nerves. the rest of them had learnt this already from first-hand experience.

the boys continue muttering amongst themselves, changing to a different topic. the atmosphere is tranquil, and the buzzing of monitors is pleasant. a comfortable silence falls between them, both busy with checking and monitoring everything on the ship. everything seemed to be running just fine (a stark juxtaposition to prior events), so it was unnecessary, but it was still good to be sure. _better safe than sorry._

"hongjoong and i got into a fight, too," he mumbles to san after a few minutes of silence have passed. san looks over to him curiously, but shows no judgement whatsoever.

"when?"

"just before you came in." san doesn't press seonghwa to continue; only waits for him to go at his own pace. this was why he was recognised as the best listener, and sometimes seonghwa felt slightly guilty for dumping his problems onto san when he'd prefer it to be the other way round. curse his maternal instincts, really.

"i was telling him to talk to wooyoung, y'know? tried to help him with the stress he's been under recently. but i said something, and he misunderstood what i meant," he explains vaguely, and san purses his lips.

"give it a couple days. i think it'll blow over by tea time, to be honest," san replies heartily, trying to lighten seonghwa's somber mood with his signature dimple-y smile. it's impossible not to smile back at him; his upturned lips are as bright as the sun itself, and just as joyful. seonghwa hopes he's right.

the alarm blares around the entire ship, echoing harshly against the metal walls. it signals six o'clock; time to make way for their first destination: _mars_.

seonghwa rushes to get changed into his uniform whilst san's teasing trails behind him (" _come on, hyung! stop sleeping on the job!"_ ), but as the ship shakes with new excitement, seonghwa can't help but feel dread dig it's claws into the pit of his stomach.

if this wasn't even the first twenty-four hours in space, how were the next fifteen years going to pan out?

_shut_ _up_ , _seonghwa_ , he scolds himself sharply, _you have a ship to fly._

_**—** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took so long for me to update! i did warn you i'm a slow updater haha T-T.
> 
> i tried to describe where all the room locations n stuff were in the last chapter, but i'm not sure if they were too confusing?? idk i have the spacecraft layout planned n all, but i'm pretty bad at explaining n describing stuff, so if you have questions please feel free to shoot them!!
> 
> please give feedback if you want to!! i'm open to constructive criticism :)
> 
> also yes timeskips will happen soon, i am not about to write every day of their lives for fifteen years lmao.
> 
> if you're reading this, take care n stay safe!! <3


	4. kimchi jiggae & the art of saying sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "got the universe on your side."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an extra long chapter because why not :D i hope you guys are taking care! ily <3

**OCTOBER 25TH, 2120 A.D.**  
_—AURORA SPACECRAFT._  
[129 DAYS TO MARS.]

if seonghwa was panicking about steering the ship for the first time, then he definitely did not show it.

he spots yeosang indiscreetly studying him from the corner of his sharp eyes as he busies himself with the controls. watching him curiously, as if waiting for him to show signs of anxiety. but seonghwa keeps his expression neutral and indifferent; unwavering.

and when he turns back to stare, not challenging the other- just questioning, yeosang stares back, silent, and then turns around to check their flight path again (one thing seonghwa had learnt about yeosang over the years was that he wasn't afraid to stare, and he definitely didn't care about getting caught either). seonghwa shrugs it off and keeps an eye on the outside temperature levels.

truthfully, he was shitting his pants right now- sure, they've been through a million and one simulators and worked as a team to fly ships before, and he knows how each individual works under the pressure. but this was so, _so_ different. this wasn't a simulation, a test, an exercise. it was the real deal, and if things went haywire, then-

seonghwa doesn't want to entertain the ideas of what would happen after that.

very few words are exchanged across the room as all eight men clamber around the central bay, sixteen eyes on separate screens. the atmosphere is frantic, but not messy; nervous, but calculated. seonghwa's inky hair is slicked back to ensure none of it falls into his eyes, and hongjoong's is tied into a short tuft at the back of his head with a hair tie.

("if you're not going to shave it, then at least cut your hair shorter before the mission," some higher-up had scowled during one of their final routine checks.

hongjoong had just jutted his chin out, crossed his arms and stuck his noise in the air, resolute in keeping his hair longer. whilst he was usually obedient and efficent, he was also stubborn this way, almost rebellious. when the team had asked why he wouldn't trim his hair afterwards, he'd just shrugged and said, "don't feel like it."

seonghwa had come to learn that was a very ' _hongjoong_ ' thing to do.)

"okay, preparing to shift in _five_ _minutes_! mingi, how are the fuel levels?" hongjoong shouts above the increasing whirring and firing of engines.

"stable, all according to plan so far!"

"seonghwa, temperature?" (seonghwa will choose to ignore how hongjoong's shoulders tense slightly)

"nine degrees celsius!" he hollers back, brushing off the sour taste on his tongue. he wouldn't dare let personal affairs mess up this mission so soon; not now, not _ever_.

san shouts coordinates and various numbers just as the thirty second countdown flashes on the main screen, red and obnoxious.

the others take a step back from the flight control deck as hongjoong, yeosang and seonghwa prepare to embark on their route to mars, with commander and second in-command ready to steer, and navigator stabilising the engines.

and then the man to seonghwa's right is yelling, " _advance_!", and it's gruelling work, keeping one hand on his stick shift and the other pressing a hundred buttons in the blink of an eye. it's harder than you'd imagine, flying a ship without crashing into a storm of meteors and space junk, but he supposes that's why they've got the best (san and yeosang) overseeing their route. they're turning the _aurora_ north-east from their starting position, and they'll have to gather enough speed and distance to exit the earth's orbit before they can leave the ship on autopilot. on his left, yeosang is, for the most part, quiet, save for the occasional and mandatory calling out the engine power percentages (these are the times he's the loudest seonghwa's ever heard him speak). his eyebrows are furrowed and a pink tongue peeks out between his lips, with his glinting teeth biting it gently.

it takes ten minutes of weaving in and out of asteroids and space rubble until the _aurora_ is finally free of the earth's orbit. seonghwa's biceps ache with the controlled force of pulling levers, and beads of sweat gather on the three steerer's foreheads. mingi's the first to whoop loudly and cheer, and suddenly, they're all hooting and celebrating and waving their limbs in the air like maniacs (they'd be jumping, if not for the anti-gravity). hongjoong's panting slightly, and as seonghwa breathes a sigh of relief, they look at each other and smile. it doesn't linger long enough to be considered a ' _moment_ ', but it's a ' _something_ ', and seonghwa allows himself to be hopeful about repairing his friendship with the other, even if he turns his head too quickly and hugs jongho instead.

after a solid five minutes of celebrations and relief, their schedules begin. as quickly as they'd gathered, they then scatter, busy with their new jobs, because being an astronaut wasn't just fun and games. hongjoong excuses himself to his private office attached to the control bay (a small room filled with files and tech and whatnot; his own private room that even has a lock on the door) to write up a report of the events just prior, yunho heads to the bio-dome, and seonghwa is left with san and yeosang to check the next section of their flight path (it was slightly tedious, having to go through every part of their route over and over again, but objects travelling through space were rebellious and unpredictable, so this was necessary). mingi and jongho, the lucky bastards, already have a free period, and with wooyoung in tow they go to explore the interesting breakfast options in the kitchen.

with all the exhausting events happening (both physically and mentally) in such a short span of time at the beginning of the day, it was easy to forget what had happened between hongjoong and wooyoung earlier.

but it seems wooyoung hasn't let it go, as he wanders back into the central bay, floating to yeosang's side. he's like a lost ghost, and then like a brooding dog when he flops his chin onto the navigator's shoulder. he doesn't flinch, or pause the sentence he's speaking- he just pats wooyoung's head mindlessly and continues on. san and seonghwa say nothing, but the woeful energy the youngest is emitting is unmistakable and suffocating. he looks so dejected, so miserable, and it doesn't suit him at all. seonghwa's much more used to his teethy grin and his lifted cheeks and ear-achingly high-frequency laugh. it's so out of character for the data controller, than seonghwa has the urge to storm into hongjoong's office right now and scold him properly for making wooyoung so sad. or maybe that's just his maternal instincts again (god fucking damnit).

thankfully, it doesn't take long for their meeting to wrap up, since the first push into their expedition went as perfectly as they could've ever imagined (seonghwa's almost a little smug about it, reminiscing on the time him and eden had picked out each candidate that stands before him. he's so proud, he has to compose himself and clear his throat). this gives them a little time to... talk?

or sort out their personal issues. _read_ : wooyoung and hongjoong.

it's the heavy elephant in the room, and wooyoung keeps huffing (he's unaware of it, too) as he piles all his weight onto yeosang. yeosang, as their bluntest member, sighs, but not impatiently.

"wooyoung, do you want to talk?" he asks, not gently, but not harshly. yeosang has funny way of handling things, but seonghwa can't argue that his cold yet kind methods don't work.

"i guess," wooyoung replies in a whiny, dreary tone, the sort that actually means " _yes, i really would_ ", as if they hadn't realised that before.

"i tried to speak to hongjoong about it," seonghwa adds, and wooyoung looks up at him, a tad surprised, like he's just remembered seonghwa was in the room when it happened too.

"and? _what'd he say_?" from the look on seonghwa's face, wooyoung flops back onto yeosangs shoulder dejectedly. yeosang doesn't move away, but he doesn't move closer to wooyoung for it to be more comfortable. like seonghwa said: an enigma.

"you know what he's like. he knows he was in the wrong, he'll apologise soon. he told me he would," he says, smiling lightly at the droopy boy, and it actually does cheer him up. he lifts his chin off yeosang's (poor) shoulder, and wraps his arms tightly around him instead, like gum to the sole of a shoe.

yeosang is still statue-like, and seonghwa wouldn't find it hard to believe if he'd just turned into stone on the spot. but wooyoung's happy, and that was what mattered.

(yeosang and wooyoung were the only two that were considered friends before they'd been teamed up, and whilst they were an unlikely pair on the outside, it wasn't hard to see how well they worked together once getting to know them. they were like yin and yang; the perfect, complimentary balance of personalities, and seonghwa supposes they have a lifetime of history together, so he likes to let them be from time to time. like now, watching wooyoung wrap his legs around yeosang's own, transforming into a koala.)

anti-gravity onboard the spacecraft meant you never really knew if someone was coming round the corner, since footsteps wouldn't be heard. and that's proven now, as their commander floats into the central bay.

four pairs of eyes are on him as he freezes, clearly not expecting to deal with wooyoung (he's still latched onto yeosang's back) so early. or seonghwa either, since he purposefully looks away and at everything but him, which sends a twinge of hurt twisting in his heart.

hongjoong composes himself quickly as he makes his way into the kitchen. (the other four members in the central bay can still hear him.)

" _mingi_ - _ssi_! can you help me with this report?" (all the doors are open, so their exchange is broadcasted around most of the ship, albeit a little muffled.)

"why?"

"i want your opinion on it."

"...shouldn't you ask seonghwa hyung?" the three boys turn to look at seonghwa, who's alarmed to hear his name. and who's even more alarmed to hear hongjoong sound so... unsure of himself.

"well, i figured since you've been commander before, and you have experience, then it'd be best to ask you." their leader sounds slightly agitated, and seonghwa can picture him tapping his shoe with impatience, if he weren't floating.

"seonghwa hyung is your second-in-command. ask him to help you," the younger says with finality, blunt yet reasonable. typical mingi prefers to state the obvious, instead of toeing around situations, and he's got a point. even from here, the small crowd in the central bay can hear hongjoong's resigned sigh and " _very_ _well_ " as he clicks his tongue, no doubt heading back.

the four boys look between each other with almost-comedic panic. they're going to be caught eavesdropping, _oh god, it's going to be so awkward, where can seonghwa even hide-_

" _seonghwa_ - _ssi."_ hongjoong is now on the opposite side of the room, with the control panels separating them. san looks like he's just swallowed a bee.

"hm?" he asks. god, he's a terrible actor. hongjoong looks between them weirdly, knowing they'd been listening.

"will you come help me file this report? i need a second opinion." he swallows shallowly, the glimpse of his adam's apple bobbing. it feels a lot more dramatic that it should be, yet the atmosphere is choking and seonghwa really wishes there was some fresh air around here.

he nods, and follows hongjoong into his office. san pats him on the back reassuringly, looking more scared than seonghwa.

seonghwa isn't scared. it's more uncertainty- like he doesn't really know where he stands with the man who's already written a four-page long report. hongjoong isn't childish or immature, he's just explosive; unpredictable and closed. and for some reason, seonghwa really wants to help him open up, or to at least understand him. he's not sure why he feels like that, because it's definitely weird, but what he does know is that he cannot stand when hongjoong refuses to look at him.

there's an unshifting, uncomfortable silence that fills the gap between them. the longer he stares, the more seonghwa notices that the roots of hongjoong's blue hair (he'd dyed it the day before lift-off, just to add insult to the injury at the higher-up who'd commented on his hair. he hadn't even trimmed it, either) are already starting to show.

hongjoong sighs. it's heavy, indiscernible, holding the weight of the entire universe in just one breath. seonghwa braces himself for the impact.

"i'm... i'm sorry," he says, fiddling with his fingers and looking at his boots. it's rare to see this kind of body language on his commander. "i know i messed up."

"what do you mean?" he asks (obviously, he is sort of aware of why hongjoong is apologising, but he wants to hear it all from him, anyway).

"i know you meant well, earlier. and i completely misunderstood your comforting words. it wasn't fair of me to blow up at you, or give you the cold shoulder." he takes a deep breath. "i don't want us to fight, especially on the first day. i was really hoping for our first memories in space to be positive; not like this." seonghwa nods in agreement. he can't help the overgrowing, fond expression that plasters his face as hongjoong finds the right words to say (but thankfully, the leader is too busy still studying his feet).

"i'm sorry. i know... i know that i'm not the easiest person to comfort, and i'm not a very likeable person." seonghwa opens his mouth to object. "so thank you for always sticking with me. i hope you'll still consider me your friend." the end of his sentence is lilted, unintentionally sounding more like a question rather than a statement. seonghwa scoffs (playfully), and finally, hongjoong's eyes are on him.

"hongjoong, it would take a lot more than a little tension for me to stop being your friend." hongjoong's ears turn a little pink.

"i trust you, you know?" he carries on, "you're a good person, and i know you'll always make the right choices. i've been your second for so long now, so i hope over time, you'll be more comfortable with me. you don't have to be so defensive; i've never thought badly about you ever in my life."

a pause settles above them as seonghwa's words sink in.

"i can't believe i almost let this affect our work. that was rule number one of things not to do," he chuckles darkly, self deprecation coating his words and leaving a bitter taste to the air around them. seonghwa takes the opportunity to pat the other's arm to brighten the mood.

"we have plenty more time to adjust. forget about it now. show me the report?" that's all seonghwa needs to say to clear the atmosphere, and when hongjoong turns to stare at him with uncertainty, seomghwa returns it with kindness and comfort.

(and also, they really need to send this report before the bosses back on earth believe they're already dead.

**-** **☆** **-**

" _hello_ , _hello_ , _hello_ , residents of the spacecraft _aurora_ ," announces the crackly voice over the new intercom, "if you have a free period right now, then please make your way to the kitchen, where we will be testing the rehydrated _kimchi_ _jiggae_ for lunch!"

"jongho, we're all here," mingi says to the overexcited younger, but jongho chooses to ignore him. he'd been begging to be the first to use their intercom system all day, and the huge shit-eating grin on his face proved it to be every bit satisfactory as he'd imagined.

according to the clock, it's just on the edge of becoming one in the afternoon, and mingi, jongho, yunho and hongjoong are finally catching their first break. the ship's youngest teammates had been indisposed of work all day so far (in seomghwa's words yet again, _the lucky bastards_ ), but the potent smell of space food cooking seemed to imply they'd kept busy.

the other half of the crew were still busy on schedule, so unfortunately, they couldn't try jongho's (skeptical) lunch.

"so this... is rehydrated kimchi jiggae?" hongjoong asks hesitantly, watching the artificial-looking stew fall off his spoon with a resonating _plop_. it was definitely a lot thicker than it's familiar liquid consistency, what with the anti-gravity and all, but at least there was kimchi and scallions and some rather odd looking pieces of tofu. _was it tofu_? yunho's examining his bowl of stew carefully too.

mingi winces under jongho's expectant stare. or, it could be classified as a glare; mingi had tried backing out of trying the food before, and it was better to eat it himself than to have the youngest shovel it into his mouth.

"i'll do a countdown." the commander takes a deep breath as he scoops up a generous amount of stew (with that consistency, it seemed more fitting to be a paste rather than stew). yunho and mingi nod feverishly, spoons at the ready. jongho just stands there, of course, arms crossed and his wide grin unwavering. not even trying it for himself, curse him.

" _three_ , _two_ , _one_." the three boys force the food into their mouths, eyes screwed tight, preparing themselves for the worst.

as much as hongjoong would hate to admit it, it actually tasted good. definitely not the worst vacuum packed meal in their kitchen shelves (he knows in advance to steer clear from the weird imitation bulgogi).

"is it good?" jongho asks eagerly, scanning everyone's faces. he receives mixed reactions: whilst hongjoong and yunho seem to somewhat enjoy it, from mingi's face it's clear he's ready to vomit out the abomination. dramatically, he grabs some tissue to spit out his tiny mouthful, and theatrically retches for good measure. the rest of them laugh loudly at his pained expression.

"what even _is_ that? _that's an insult to kimchi jiggae_! jongho, you're fired!" he exclaims, turning away to find something more edible to eat for lunch.

an easy silence falls upon them as three boys eat their lunch and mingi prepares the fail-safe bulgogi they've already tried and tested on earth (hongjoong encouraged him to take the packet- it really wouldn't be missed).

"yunho-yah, do you know where wooyoung is right now?" he asks quietly to the herbologist, even though he knows everyone can hear him. it's slightly awkward, but hongjoong bites the bullet. _it's his punishment for being a lousy commander and friend,_ he thinks.

in fact, he already knows where wooyoung is. on one of the many monitors in the central bay, there's a map layout of the spacecraft, and from the heat signatures they give off, it accurately shows with a little coloured arrow where all the members are on the ship. wooyoung's arrow is black, he knows, and it's pointing to a little corner in the laboratory in module two.

"he's in the labs. i think he's just putting the equipment in order," yunho answers obediently. it's obvious, _so_ obvious why hongjoong is asking, so like the good friends they are, they don't ask any questions, for which he's eternally grateful for. he's always struggled with explaining himself more than necessary.

"i'm heading back to the bio-dome," yunho proclaims after finishing his lunch, throwing away the paper bowl and wooden spoon. "i'm still learning about how the vegetables are responding onboard. jongho, wanna come with?"

the chef nods quickly and clamours after him, their echoing chatter fading as they enter module three of the ship. hongjoong stays quietly, thoughtful, even after finishing his meal, and when mingi's finished his.

"i'll be in the medical bay if you need me," mingi says. "good luck, hyung." hongjoong nods back at the boy as he leaves. the medical bay in just opposite the laboratory, and hongjoong knows that even though mingi is their doctor, he's chosen to purposefully stay close by for support. he supposes it's common knowledge that apologising and communicating with others over personal matters is particularly difficult for him, so he really does need all the luck he can get.

before changing his mind, he disposes his bowl and makes his way west to the labs, a few minutes behind mingi. as he passes the sealed trapdoor containing the out-of-bounds repair room, he feels a stabbing guilt that's teasing his lunch up his throat. he gulps it down. it's simple, he can do this.

even though all of them had considered each other best friends at this point (an unspoken arrangement, but self-explanatory, if they were to be in space for the next decade and a half together), hongjoong always had significantly more trouble communicating with the others. and it's shameful to say that he's never had a proper bonding moment with wooyoung alone, within the two years of knowing and working with him. sometimes, wooyoung's just a bit too loud for him (he says this non-judgementally, and doesn't mean it critically), and their personalities seemed to clash sometimes. but that's not to say they aren't friends- they really are, and they've shared some good moments together.

in short, hongjoong's not sure how to say sorry to wooyoung, or if he'll accept his apology. god, his hands are starting to sweat as he presses the code to open the laboratory doors.

wooyoung doesn't look up from his organising, but he does stop humming his pleasant tune; a sign he's acknowledged someone else has come in.

"hi, hongjoong hyung," he says rather timidly, a stark contrast to the confident and deafening volumes he usually speaks with. hongjoong should be surprised that wooyoung knows it's him at the doorway, but wooyoung's not stupid. "what's up?"

_a_ _lot_ , he wants to say.

"are you free right now?" he asks with the same quietness as he finds a comfortable spot that isn't in the way of their work (he's still used to finding somewhere to sit, rather than just floating instead. it's weird, but he signed up for it). as if on cue, the bell rings for two o'clock, signalling the start of hongjoong's shift, but the end of wooyoung's. wooyoung smiles (still not looking at him), using the alarm as his answer.

hongjoong's schedule can wait. he was supposed to be finished off the report about their first advance into their journey, but with seonghwa's help, they'd finished up quickly, and that left him with some free time already.

he takes a deep breath; one of the many he's had to take today.

"can we talk?"

"sure," wooyoung says, wiping his hands on his jumpsuit pants and finally looking at hongjoong. hongjoong's usually so confident, so careful; the opposite of the clammy, speechless mess he is right now.

it's the guilt. it's the drowning, suffocating blanket of guilt he's trapped under that's making him feel so... terrible. whilst wooyoung is opposite him, a bigger man than himself, forcing himself to look at hongjoong's straying glances.

hongjoong doesn't even know why he said the codename- it'd just slipped accidentally. and even though he knows he's in the wrong, he hates admitting it.

time to rip the bandaid off the wound.

"wooyoung, i'm sorry," he starts, and wooyoung drops his head, though still listening. "i'm such a shit leader and friend for calling you raven in a situation so minor. i know how much you hate it. i-" he's rambling now, almost incoherent. the younger shushes him, calming him down.

"i know, hyung. you were stressed. i get it. i'm not even that mad anymore- i understand the position you were in."

"and i know i ignored your help when trying to fix the radiator too. i should've let you handle it- it's what you're most qualified for." he lets out a lungful of relief and inner torment.

wooyoung nods silently, a form of acceptance. "thanks. i accept your apology. let's just learn from this instead, yeah?"

wooyoung is a saint, an angel sent from heaven, a beautiful thing hongjoong doesn't deserve-

the engineer wraps hongjoong into a tight hug, catching him by surprise.

but it's a lovely surprise. _hell_ , hongjoong enjoys it a lot more than he'd care to admit (he's not a touchy person, at all), and wraps his own arms around the other. wooyoung is just as surprised about the contact.

"i though you didn't like hugs," he states playfully, pulling hongjoong closer.

"i _don't_ ," he replies gruffly. he doesn't move away, though. wooyoung is warm, and the perfect height to hug, and this probably the last time the leader will accept physical affection so intimate.

"so we're good?" he asks hesitantly. it's a bit muffled, since his face is smushed into the crook of wooyoung's neck, and wooyoung laughs at the ticklish vibrations.

"yeah, we're good. just don't do it again, or next time i won't be so forgiving." that's a bargain too good to be true for the commander, and he squeezes wooyoung a little tighter before releasing the hug. surprisingly, once both men let go, it's not as awkward as hongjoong expects, to which he's thankful for. the last few hours alone was enough tension to last him the whole duration of the mission.

"i'm _starving_ \- i'm going to the kitchens. are you coming?"

"no, i'm back on schedule," he says with a childish pout. wooyoung laughs- something that brightens his own spirits. "i'd highly recommend the kimchi jiggae, though."

"noted. thanks, _lucky_!" wooyoung calls as he quickly exits the room. hongjoong chuckles. he deserves that, and he should've known wooyoung wasn't going to just sit back without getting some sort of revenge. he sighs fondly and heads back to his office, feeling much more lighter and happier than he'd felt all day.

**-** **☆** **-**

eight o'clock means team bonding exercises, according to san.

which is why all eight members are in the living quarters, catching up on their interesting findings and own accounts of the day's events. seonghwa is the last to enter the room, and it warms his heart to see the rest of the kids whoop and cheer at his arrival.

" _hyung_! you're just time. you can pick the movie for tonight, if you want." san thrusts a bunch of dvds into his arms with his sunny smile.

"yeosang-ah, you pick the film tonight. i'm not really in the mood," he says good-naturedly, thrusting the pile into the navigator's arms, even if he looks like he's about to object. he goes to float next to hongjoong, ignoring the whines around him.

"that's favouritism right there! we all know yeosang's your favourite kid!" jongho cries dramatically, clutching his heart and holding onto yunho's arm. seonghwa snorts.

"i _never_ said that. pass the chocolate, please."

it takes a little while for them all to settle (you'd think they were children, not young adults), but soon, they collapse into a tangle of limbs in front of the blaring screen.

that's when seonghwa feels it.

what starts as a mild migraine transforms into fully blown _vertigo_ \- it feels like his brain is spinning in circles, and there are three versions of everything in the room. white hot needles sear into his skull, and a sinking nausea clutches onto the pit of his stomach. he wants to throw up, but his throat is as dry as a desert, and he'd probably choke on his own vomit if he did.

he supposes the events of the first day must've been a lot for him to handle. but he can't compromise the mission, or worry the others, so he sucks it up and untangles himself from the human pile.

"i don't feel so well, so i'm gonna head to bed early. if you need me, don't hesitate to knock," he says, but he's not sure if he's slurring his speech or not. the others nod and murmur back, focusing on the screen again.

"goodnight, hyung."

"sleep well!"

he waves at them distractedly as he exits the room and bumps into the walls of the ship, trying to make it safely to his own sleeping pod. feverishly, he strips off his uniform and climbs into sleepwear, and it feels like bliss when his head meets his pillow.

day one of mission sunrise: complete. 128 more days until they reach mars.

the ac is turned on in his pod, but his body is burning.

seonghwa's sure it's nothing.

**—**


	5. 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥'𝗦 𝗟𝗢𝗚

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "got the universe by your side."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aha it's been a while since i updated, right? if you're reading this, thank you for putting up with my slow updates, and please be patient- i promise i'm trying to update more frequently!
> 
> please take this short chapter as a filler for now.
> 
> as always, take care, stay safe! look forward for the future chapters- i swear it gets more exciting!

  
**NOVEMBER 1ST, 2120 A.D.**  
DAY SEVEN  
[MARS BOUND]  
ENTRY #1

-

(in the event that this log is found by prying eyes and individuals separate from the EXPT-1117 mission, then this log contains the personal and private archives of commander LUCKY. not affiliated with other KQSA or government personnel unless stated otherwise.)

-

it's already been a whole week since we embarked on this mission, and it's safe to say everyone's settled in well, and the ship hasn't broken down yet, thank god.

things were rocky the first day- relationships with other members that i'm not proud to say i almost ruined. but better sooner than later, i think, and so bonds with the crew have been preserved since, for now. i'm praying to the stars that the next fourteen years are smoother than that painful day.

my intention in this log isn't to raise suspicion or, to put it lightly, talk shit about my fellow crew members, but rather i will recount events that i think will be nice to read back on later in the expedition.

SIREN has been busy in the kitchens, recently. strangely enough, being the chef is one of the most important roles onboard. certainly without him, i would've halfed my muscle mass this week alone. it's embarrassing, but he reminds me to actually eat when i'm so used to forgetting to, and i'm thankful for it. technically, he's an apprentice right now, mostly on the team for the hands-on experience, but his knowledge is still extremely valued, and he's nice company when i'm writing up reports 'til late at night. he's a night-owl, like myself. he's writing a book, he says; a fiction novel. at the rate he scribbles words, we'll surely need to send for more paper from earth. plus, he makes a mean hot chocolate (lukewarm for safety's sake, in case it spills onto any technology), and he's promised not to tell the other members i drink anything other than black coffee.

yesterday, we celebrated halloween. i'd never been allowed to participate in the event before, but BYEOL and RAVEN insisted. i wasn't sure why we couldn't have just dressed up as astronauts, but SERAPH had found the spare cloths cupboard in the supply room, where some white sheets made some pretty convincing ghost costumes. hell, they even went out of their way to tape sweets to the sleeping pod doors so that later, they could 'trick-or-treat'. you'd hardly believe they were twenty and the smartest in their field of work.

(i joined them, anyway. it was fun.)

i'm not sure how SIREN convinced the KQ board to allow him this much creativity in the kitchens, but a batch of cookies from a box mix topped with halloween-themed icing was a pleasant surprise. it's comforting to know that if he ever gets bored of being an astronaut, he always has his artistic abilities to fall back on.

(the cheeky bastard gave me a frankenstein-shaped cookie and said it looked like me. i smacked him around the head.)

someone had even packed a horror movie for us to watch during our 8 o'clock bonding time (courtesy of BYEOL), though it was cut short when one member (whom i won't name to save their dignity) screamed so loudly it echoed throughout the entire spacecraft.

however, whilst there have been no mishaps this week, i've been worried about a couple of the members (correction: _one_ member).

MARS seems distant. he looks ill. he says it's nothing, but he's always pale, no matter how much extra teokbokki SIREN serves him. sometimes he gets headaches, something he rarely caught during our training days. he's cold, too. i can see the fear in his eyes as he watches his fingernails turn into a worrying shade of blue. despite the freezing temperatures in space, the AURORA has always been warm and toasty. i'd lock him in his pod if i could, just so he could get more rest.

i hope it's nothing serious.

but if he chooses to drink coffee for breakfast one more time, i'll have no choice but to intervene (he fucking hates coffee).

apart from that, everything seems okay. everyone seems happy, for the most part. i have to make sure it stays that way.

i'll log off now. the team hates it when i'm late for the evening 'bonding' activities. and i'm sure there are some leftover cookies that they definitely aren't saving for me.

here's to a perfect voyage, and a successful mission.

(P.S they keep calling me 'dad'. i have no idea why.)

_signing off,_

LUCKY.

—


	6. milky-sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "got the universe on your side."

**NOVEMBER 6TH, 2120 A.D**

_—AURORA SPACECRAFT._

[117 DAYS TO MARS.]

"psst. san. _san-ah_."

san turns lazily towards the direction of sound, eyebrow raised, coffee cup jauntily tilted at a dangerous angle. the anti-grativy holds up most of the cup's weight, so he doesn't need to hold it, really, and the little hole in the cup lid is begging to wreak havoc and spill some of the hot beverage.

(san likes to drink coffee to look like an adult, but really, he's just drinking hot milky-sugar with a hint of coffee. _shh_ , don't tell anyone, though.)

his eyes meet the top half of wooyoung's head: cat-like eyes full of mirth peeking out from behind the laboratory doorway. he's full of excitement; san knows this wooyoung all too well. it's the same wooyoung that made makeshift (harmless) bombs and set them off in abandoned hallways during his first week at _KQSA._ the wooyoung who swaps his teammates' sugar with salt, and deliberately adds a couple more pinches of pepper to the meals of those who can't handle spice well.

(san shudders at the hellish omelette his comrade had so lovingly made during their training days. of course, he retaliated by making his monthly batch of chocolate-chip cookies for the team and swapping chocolate for raisins in wooyoung's cookies. what can he say, he's cold-blooded.)

san goes to open his mouth to respond. it's comical, the way his friend is acting like a really bad spy in a cheesy crime movie, but he's stopped by wide eyes and frantic arm-waving motions.

" _shh! don't talk!_ stay quiet. come here," wooyoung whispers loudly (ironically, wooyoung himself is probably the last person in the solar system to understand the word 'quiet'), looking around the hallway and behind san to check for any other intruding members.

"everyone will know we're in here, anyway. the thermal tracker in the control room, _hello_?" he mutters as he gets dragged into the room. " _idiot_."

wooyoung locks the laboratory doors and dramatically breathes a loud sigh. san's eyebrow only raises higher. "so, what's up?"

his team mate is so choked up with excitement, he has to pause before speaking.

"i made something."

"great. you're an engineer, congrats!" wooyoung smacks him, hard.

"drink your coffee and stop being so grumpy." ( _does it really count as coffee if you can barely taste the coffee bean?)_ "no, seriously, you're really gonna love this."

san takes a curious sip of warm milky-sugar and puts it in the cupholder attached to the wall. wooyoung's enthusiasm is contagious, electrifying, and the boxy grin and sparkling-white teeth makes him feel more awake than his caffeine fix ever did.

"close your eyes," he demands, and san obeys. all he can hear is wooyoung's uniform rustling as he turns to grab something. "okay, _now... open_!"

there is a little metal disk with arms in wooyoung's hands, no bigger than a china plate.

"it's a little robot! he's programmed to fetch this and that and hold stuff! isn't he great?" a matching grin finds its way into san's own face. wooyoung's right: he does love it; the little metal disk is _adorable_. he taps the top of the robot, and it instantly springs to life, the multicoloured lights on it's side beam brightly and a cacophony of whirring fills their ears. it even wiggles it's little crabby claws experimentally, as if flexing unused muscles.

"oh... my... _god_ ," san whispers with baited breath as both boys watch the little robot attentively, waiting to see what it does next.

"i programmed him to respond to the name 'sirius', because, _yes_ , i am a space nerd," wooyoung chatters quickly with happiness. " _sirius_!"

the little metal disk whirs happily in response. the blue circle of light in it's side swivels to face wooyoung in acknowledgment and it clicks it's hands once again.

"hi," san says, and surprisingly, it responds with a long series of happy whirring. _god, it's as talkative as it's maker._

"i'm planning to keep updating him, make him more responsive and stuff," wooyoung explains as he floats over to the paper-scattered countertop to write down some notes on their new friend. sirius follows and hovers above his shoulder. "if you tell him your name, he'll remember it!" he says offhandedly, even though san feels the pride radiating off of him.

"sirius," he calls, making sure each syllable is clear. the glowing blue dot rotates until it meet's san's eyes, "i'm san."

no response.

"no, he's not that clever, yet. you have to say ' _sirius, my name is san'_."

at the recognition of his name, sirius turns back towards wooyoung. and once wooyoung finishes his sentence, the boys look at each other, wide-eyed.

"ah, fuck," he says. sirius responds joyfully- another bout of chirps and whirs continue, and a little _ding_! makes it obvious that according to the little robot, wooyoung is now registered as san.

silence and disbelief fill the room.

"so... should i tell him i'm wooyoung? can't you change it?" san asks.

"i didn't tell him my name before that, and i didn't write a code allowing him to rename people in his memory," he answers blankly.

"uh, okay then. _sirius_?" the robot turns towards him, none the wiser.

"my name is wooyoung," san states, and both boys burst into a fit of laughter, estatic whirring amidst their guffaws.

**-** **☆** **-**

"jongho, what do you mean i can't have cereal for lunch? come on, be reasonable here!"

"hyung, no offence but your diet is terrible and i need every opportunity i can get to make you eat some vegetables."

"but the cereal box is literally right there, i need to be back on schedule in ten minutes!"

"fine, mingi-hyung," jongho sighs, and mingi grins devilishly. "i'll just eat all mint-chocolate ice cream."

mingi frowns.

"dude, you don't even like mint-chocolate flavoured things."

"yes, so i will eat it solely out of pure spite. wait for the lunch i'm cooking, please." mingi crosses the room dejectedly, pouting and silent.

"well, what are you cooking?" yunho asks, going to float beside seonghwa.

currently, those on their lunch break are mingi, yunho, seonghwa and yeosang (jongho's technically there as part of his required job), all five lazying around and _starving_.

to answer yunho's question as annoyingly as possible, jongho goes to reach for the obnoxious intercom, but a flurry of hands smack his hand away with a chorus of " _no_!"

the youngest huffs and crosses his arms. "i'm making fried rice with spring rolls."

"ooh, _multicultural_ ," yunho responds, waggling his brows. a satisfied smirk sits on jongho's face and he bows theatrically. mingi scoffs. the rest of them sit there, unfazed; this was how most conversations went amongst their team. family, or whatever.

they converse amongst themselves as jongho works his magic in the meantime. stuff like " _please remind hongjoong-hyung to get out his office and stretch his legs every once in a while_ " and " _i just_ _know_ _wooyoung is up to something_ " travels between them, and soon enough, a streaming bowl of fluffy rice with some pretty decent pieces of imitation egg and peppers sit in their warming hands, topped with an astonishingly crispy chicken spring roll. who says a chinese takeaway can't make it to space?

"how does it feel to be the youngest chef in space?"

"nah, scratch that. how does it feel to be the _only person in the world_ to have cooked a spring roll in space?"

yeosang rolls his eyes fondly and and pats jongho on the shoulder in thanks as he finishes his meal. "mingi, don't forget to give me that medical course introduction later," he says as he floats out of the room.

"wipe your mouth!" seonghwa calls after him, to no response.

the rest of them linger in the kitchen for a little white longer, reluctant to begin work again. until mingi gasps and remembers he's behind schedule and still needs to help san file some books away, and rushes out. whilst the remaining three boys chuckle, the bell signalling the end of lunch break resounds throughout the _aurora_ , making them groan.

"back to checking on my seedlings. _ciao_!" yunho declares, waving. seonghwa and jongho head to the navigation room, awaiting their daily trial of picking the best route for their expedition.

there, they meet yeosang again, who's in deep conversation with hongjoong, and wooyoung.

"waddup gang," jongho says as he throws up a peace sign and slots himself into the middle of the crowd they've formed. all conversations cease and, _for an apprentice_ , seonghwa thinks, _jongho is uh, extremely eager_. although it's been more than a week since take-off, it's the first time jongho is helping out with the route specifics instead of doing whatever odd job yunho makes him do, so something tells him jongho doesn't get along with plants as well as yunho.

"okay, so yesterday we encountered a light meteor shower- nothing major, but at four a.m. seonghwa and i had to manually steer the spacecraft out of it's path just as a precaution. we weren't gonna get hit, but you know, just in case." seonghwa nods. "so i'm wondering if we should anchor the _aurora_ and wait out the shower, or plan a different route. the pros of anchoring the spacecraft-" the commander turns to use the whiteboard upheld to the wall, ink pen already smudging his hand at the fast pace he draws up a table:

"we can keep flying on the route we've planned to almost perfection, and we'll get to mars without further intrusion hopefully, with this shower as an exception. plus, it's the quickest and safest route we know. cons, however, are that we'd be nine days behind on the mission, and with fourteen years in front of us, those days will build up quickly and before we know it, if we let all these little dilemmas hinder our journey, it could be years after the predicted date before we head back home." the other crew members murmer and nod in agreement. the thought of staying in space for a few more years than necessary sends a collective shiver down all of their spines.

"or, _option two:_ plan a new route. i was viewing different recourses this morning and i think i found a path that would only make us two days behind, maybe even one if we pick up speed. it's less safer, though, so i'd want us to manually steer until we're in the clear. we'd have to do a lot of rerouting after that too when we plan for the jupiter course, but nothing we can't handle." hongjoong finally takes a deep breath after talking so quickly for so long ( _hongjoong should really look into becoming a rapper once he retires,_ seonghwa muses). "so, _thoughts_?"

their leader's commanding presence is so powerful, jongho starts to clap. "sorry, don't know why i did that," he says when hongjoong stares at him weirdly.

"i think we should reroute," seonghwa finds himself saying, and all heads turn to look at him.

now _that_ was weird.

usually, seonghwa chooses to listen to everyone's input and opinions first before contributing to discussion. in fact, he's told them countless times before: _don't wait for me to speak first._

it was as if some invisible force had grabbed his thoughts straight from his brain and shoved them through his throat and out of his mouth. seonghwa, calm and collected and thoughtful seonghwa, speaking before thinking? it was so out of character, he couldn't help but look surprised himself. only jongho, who'd yet to understand how the team functioned during these discussions, was oblivious to the stark personality change.

"what?" wooyoung asks, not rudely, but out of pure, unfiltered shock.

seonghwa's shocked too, but before he can protest, more words flood through his mouth- a quick stream that's almost incoherent.

"uh, yeah, it's better to reroute because, as hongjoong said, it'll be harder on all of us if we stay here longer than we should, and we're skilled enough to steer the _aurora_ through rocky areas. it's the reason why we have whole training degrees for it." seonghwa's tone of voice is so cocky and forceful, he's barely even sure what he's saying. at this rate, he could tell himself pouring milk before cereal was a normal and correct thing to do, and he'd believe it. maybe this was some strange voodoo magic possessing him for the time being or something, because he has no explanation for the unlike-ness of himself right now.

the others hum and nod as they listen, and after getting over their initial shock, continue discussing their ideas. seonghwa even goes as far as challenging opposing ideas, prompting them and balancing their options. something only hongjoong would do. seonghwa's not timid, but he's definitely not... whatever this is.

in the end, the debate is finalised by their typical voting system, and the outcome is three-to-one in favour of rerouting and changing their original path. maybe it was due to his newfound superpower, but the turnout had never been so clear and in agreement before.

"hyung, you were so cool! _damn_ , you were so professional and like, _scary_ ," jongho jabbers persistently, shaking his arm out of excitement. seonghwa hasn't even registered what he'd said during the session, and stares back with glazed eyes. the younger carries on, unfazed.

"you did well today," a quiet voice tells him from his shoulder- commander hongjoong.

"thanks," he replies blankly, not sure what else to say. whatever immovable force that had held him to such outspoken, leader-like standards had disappeared.

"seriously. you should contribute more often during the discussions- i like hearing what you have to say," their leader continues. he hums in response. it's just them two now in the control bay- jongho nowhere to be seen (a quick glance at the thermal tracker shows he's back in the bio-dome with yunho and mingi).

"not sure yeosang would be too happy with that, though," he mutters, unable to contain the sigh that follows after.

their resident navigator had been the only one out of their team arguing against their chosen option, and after seonghwa had challenged all of his valid points for the nth time, he'd finally given up in persuading the others. in theory, yeosang's opinions should be more valued than the other crew members', but hongjoong had said himself he values each and every one of their beliefs equally. of course, before voyage, they'd made their list of rules: be flexible in changes in the plan, work with each other even if you don't agree with the choice made, _et_ _cetera_. so wether he likes it or not, yeosang will still have to agree with doing the work in rerouting and steering the ship.

yeosang is indifferent; chooses to not wear his emotions on his face or heart upon his sleeve, but a disagreeing glare is worst than an indifferent glare.

hongjoong nods once in acknowledgement, taking it into account. " _he'll be okay_."

they linger a little longer in the control bay, checking stats, fuel levels, weather reports.

"guess i'll start writing up the plan for this week's report," hongjoong says with false cheer, giving out a whoop dripping in sarcasm.

something in seonghwa fires up again.

" _no_ , let me help you!" he urges before he can stop himself, startling the other as well.

guess he's still possessed, for now.

**-** **☆** **-**

" _his name,_ " wooyoung finds it difficult to suppress his wide grin, " _is_ _sirius_ _._ "

_oohs_ and _ahhs_ fill the spacious living quarters where seven boys are lying down (yes, floating through air still), with one particularly obnoxious boy showing off his new friend.

"he remembers names if you tell him! and holds stuff and fetches tools if you ask," wooyoung explains, exchanging a secret, knowing smile with san.

excitement fizzes through the room and ricochets off of every wall as each person takes turns in telling sirius their names, pairing with the familiar whirring response. yunho's not sure how an inanimate object can sound so happy and full of life.

soon enough; their 'eight o'clock bonding session' transforms into some sort of weird name game involving sirius, who's more than satisfied with playing pretend metal dog.

" _sirius_ , go to jongho!"

" _sirius_! go to yeosang-hyung!"

" _sirius_ , go to seonghwa-hyung!"

" _sirius_ , _go to wooyoung_!" their laughter ceases as sirius chirps happily in front of san.

" _er_ , " both san and wooyoung start, unable to contain their giggles. "it's a long story."

**_—_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a quick update!! so... whats the deal with seonghwa haha.... :0


	7. aliens...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "got the universe on your side."

**NOVEMBER 7TH, 2120 A.D**  
_—AURORA SPACECRAFT._  
[115 DAYS TO MARS.]

five a.m. in the spacecraft residency is hongjoong's favourite time- the one-hour mark before everyone wakes up, and the ship whirs to life with seven more awake bodies. and after a couple nights of planning a last-minute route to mars in order to prevent the meteor shower collision, it's safe to say the commander can afford a lie-in today. usually, he enjoys floating through the navigation room, coffee flask in hand, listening to the way his heartbeat matches the whirs and clicking of technology, watching the unwavering stars blink back at him as the grasps of sleep weaken around him, and weather reports from all over the galaxy catch his attention; a debris shower on jupiter, a new supernova by pluto, and so forth. but today, he's lying on his stomach, pencil in hand, tongue poking out as he sketches a new portrait. call him weird, but after seeing the same seven faces for two weeks, he's indiscreetly decided to use them as his newest muses. currently, he's sketching a picture of san staring through a window at a star-ridden sky- a real-life event that he'd walked past only yesterday, and a sight his hands have been itching to memorialise onto paper. hongjoong's sketches are usually modest in size, although the _KQSA_ superiors in charge of supplies were happy enough to give him enough art materials to last the next decade or so.

he's got his music volume on the lowest settting as the machinery in his sleeping pod hums along to the tune. it's never silent around the ship- something he's eternally grateful for (he's sure he'd have gone insane by now if not).

the captain is deeply immersed in drawing until a strange noise outside his door catches his attention.

his ears hyper-focus on the hum and click of a sleeping pod door opening and shutting. it's curious, as none of the boys would ever be up now (the vast majority of the crew are late sleepers and late risers- typical), but he supposes maybe someone's gone to get a cup of water or something. from the faint sound of it, hongjoong suspects it's one of the younger members; himself and seonghwa are the closest to the entrance of the sleeping quarters- his pod on the left, seonghwa's opposite, and each pod gets further down the corridor in age order. if he's really bothered to care, then maybe he suspects san or mingi is up. but he puts pencil to paper once again, nonplussed.

until he hears it again, a little closer to his pod ( _yeosang_? _yunho_?). and again. he guesses two of the members have bumped into each other, beacsue there's a slight giggle and a prompt _shh_! afterwards.

he counts four, five, six, _seven_ pod doors sliding open and shutting. _what the hell?_

they're up to something, he knows it. but honestly, he's too relaxed to care right now. he closes his sketch pad and floats to the small, circular window on the wall, ready to daydream and wade through his thoughts before the six o'clock alarm rings throughout the ship.

he checks the little digital alarm clock above his bed. half-past five. the quiet humming nurses his mind and he breathes in deeply, tranquil.

_slam_. "HONGJOONGIE HYUNG, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" cries a thousand deafening voices. seven streamers are blown at once. _ah, his birthday._

there are now seven more men shoved into his pod, party hats on and streamers being used to their full extent.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY! wake up, wake up, _wake_ _up_ , hyung!" jongho's noisy demands echo around his small room, with san and mingi pulling him up and out of his pod and into the living quarters. he's speechless, surprised beyond words.

all of them are trying to grab onto him, one way or another: wooyoung's got his hands on his shoulders, san's got his hands over wooyoung's hands on his shoulders, and mingi and yunho have linked their arms with his, one on each side. yeosang disappears and reappears holding a slightly wonky cake and even a smile. jongho's yelling something like " _i_ _made the cake last night, hyung_!" amidst the constant blowing of streamers and excitement. seonghwa stands a little far off from the others, watching amusedly, telling him to make a wish repeatedly. the candles (there are ten in total, but hongjoong reckons the abundance of badly covered-up holes in the cake are from the boys trying to put in twenty-two candles and realising there wasn't enough space on it) are unlit, since unshielded fire is a pretty big risk to have on an anti-gravity spaceship.

but he entertains them anyway. he makes a wish (which he won't say, otherwise it won't come true!) and blows out the imaginary fire, and the crew whoop and cheer so loudly, their vibrations shake and reverberate the ship.

"is it too early to eat the cake? cake for breakfast?" wooyoung asks, looking at jongho, who also seems to be pondering over the same thing.

"time is relative. come on!" mingi deadpans, reaching for the knife beside the cake. shouts of protest stop him as many limbs go flying to stop him.

"are you the birthday boy, mingi? hongjoong hyung cuts the cake, duh!" san scolds, gingerly prying the knife out of mingi's hand and giving it to the commander. hongjoong, in all his twenty-two years of living, has never received such enraptured attention ever in his life, so the seven pairs of eyes eagerly awaiting him to cut this cake is somewhat pressurising.

(he doesn't even want to eat cake right now- wooyoung's right, it _is_ too early to eat cake before six and for breakfast, no less. but no one told him that the sacrifices he'd make as leader were going to be this... _interesting_.)

he cuts the cake, cutting slightly bigger slices for the rest of them than himself. but alas, the six o'clock alarm blares just as he cuts the final piece, causing groans and complaints around the group.

...one by one, the _SUNRISE_ members turn their heads, gazing imploringly at the leader, knowing fully well he's the only figure of authority that stands in the way of a later start in schedule. ah, they really do use his affection to their advantage.

he sighs dramatically. " _fine_ , we'll start at seven instead. bonding time will be delayed to half eight, and someone has to help jongho clean the plates afterwards!" he tells them, to much delight from the others, who leave their slices of cake to float in the air as they crowd around the leader, drowning him in limbs and hugs.

"yes, okay, _okay_! enough, you know i have to write this down in the report too!" he tries to sound authoritative and bossy, but he's more worried he sounds like a timid pupppy instead.

"they won't mind, just say it's your birthday! special occasion," yunho quips with cream dotted on his nose.

"or you could lie. they don't have to know," yeosang mumbles quietly. the words hound all of them like a slap to the face. secretly, they'd all been thinking that too; it's just that yeosang actually has the balls to voice his opinions aloud. the rest of them don't respond, and choose to stuff their mouths with cake instead of answering, leaving silence to hang in the air above them.

**-** **☆** **-**

surprisingly, seonghwa feels good today. a hundred percent back to his old self. no weird, creepy forces controlling him, no abnormally high feverish temperatures. after a fortnight of feeling off, it's safe to say he's back to normal, thank the stars.

or so he thinks, until he walks into the control bay, ready to write up a report with the rest of the team detailing the new route.

at first, no one pays attention to him; the four members present (commander hongjoong, yunho, mingi, san) are all hunched over scraps of paper and monitors outlining the specifications needed in the report.

"ah, seonghwa hyung! can you-" yunho freezes as he turns around, eyeing him from head to toe, leaving him feeling exposed and insecure. the other members start to turn around to look at him, and each are equally as jaw-dropped as the herbologist.

"what? have i got something on my face?" he wipes his face vigourously, terrified by their gormless expressions, heart rate quickened to an alarming pace.

"uh- no, there's nothing. don't worry 'bout it," yunho replies, looking thoroughly unconvinced by his own words. cautiously, seonghwa goes to stand next to mingi, who flinches violently and stands closer to san. he pretends to not notice this, but something in his heart splinters, and he's fearful and terribly confused right now. _is he scaring them? has he done something?_ he kind of wishes he had his outspoken-ness back, so he could demand them to tell him what's making them act so weirdly.

his heart continues to chip away each time the members refuse to meet his eyes when he speaks and move away to make sure there's distance between themselves and him.

at the end of a torturous two-hour session and hongjoong promising he'll finish the rest of the report later, mingi and san rush out of the room at a lightning pace, and yunho's ears are an alarming shade of beetroot as he leaves in the opposite direction. even hongjoong can't bear to look at him, as he fusses with their loose papers and coffee cups.

"did i... did i do something wrong?" he manages to ask hongjoong through baited breath. the other pauses, and seonghwa thinks maybe he hadn't heard him (though it'd be impossible- they're standing right next to each other) until he stops chewing his bottom lip.

"...no. you're fine," he answers sparingly. he's doing that habit of his where he taps his feet nervously. hongjoong would always do it back on earth, but in space, with the lack of gravity, he still continues to do it, though he's just wiggling his feet in the air instead.

"then why are you acting so weirdly right now? why did the others leave so quickly?" he can feel himself growing heated; angry with embarrassment.

(the truth is, seonghwa has a notorious past of having anger and temperament issues. though he's learnt to control it over time and multiple therapy sessions, it's something he and his mother can look back on and laugh at. multiple arrests for arson and public damage (he'd never hurt a person- one of his rules back then) have made him go through more trials at _KQSA_ than any other trainee, just to make sure he's fit for the job. whilst it's a topic he's never really touched on with the team, they all know somewhat about his harrowing and slightly mysterious past. but old habits die hard, and whilst he's very good with controlling his temper, sometimes there are licks of temperamental flames that are untameable.)

hongjoong's cheeks flare up- a delicate peach colour that splashes onto his cheeks and the tip of his nose. he's turned away from seonghwa, still meddling with buttons and papers that are fine on their own.

"you just... er, you just look really good today, 's all," the shorter boy mutters, shuffling his papers one last time before leaving the room, pretending they'd never been in the same room together in the first place. _huh_.

upon the quick absence of all his teammates, he goes to see for himself. ignoring the roaring blood rushing to his face, he checks the mirror hanging in the central bay. he looks normal. if anything, he should look like a pile of shit, today especially: he'd gotten less sleep than usual, and they'd woken up extra early to fix the decorations for hongjoong's birthday. he supposes the others were too busy fussing over their birthday boy to react as violently as they'd done during those two hours.

still confused (but very much flattered), the second-in-command goes to scout out yeosang, who's chilling out kitchens, thankfully alone. as yeosang turns to look at them, he seems indifferent, to which seonghwa is grateful for. even if yeosang is as weirded out as the others were, he prefers to keep a stone-cold facade, claiming "emotions are for the weak".

"hey," he greets, watching seonghwa deliberately stand in front of him. "uh, what are you doing?"

"yeosang-ah, do i look... _different_ to you?" he asks nervously, eyebrows furrowed. yeosang looks him up and down- seognhwa knows to be scrutinised by yeosang is to expect the most honest, truthful answer.

"you look good. did you use a face cream or something? can i borrow some?" he says plainly, humming in approval of his looks. his sight lingers on seonghwa a second longer as he sips his tea.

seonghwa huffs. " _no_! i didn't. everyone's acting really fucking weirdly around me- are you _sure_ there's nothing wrong with me?"

he's given the once-over yet again. "nah. they probably got flustered because you look _weirdly_ good today." he chuckles. "bet mingi popped a boner or something."

he ignores that last comment. "don't i look good everyday?" he frowns, pouting slightly.

"don't complain, hyung. there are people that would kill to have your looks! just, i don't know, get less sleep, or mess up your hair or something, and everything will be _fine_." yeosang pats his shoulder reassuringly, convinced by his own words. the elder huffs in response, still not satisfied with the conclusion. were the boys seriously avoiding him because of his looks? is this going to last for the _next fourteen years_? seriously, can't he catch a break? the last two weeks have been hell for him, and the years of training ed undergone could never have prepared him for whatever this rollercoaster ride is.

frustrated, he brews a fresh cup of tea and heads down to the second level of the spacecraft, the _aurora_ creaking subtly as he climbs down the ladder. he ignores the relentless hammering coming from the repair room (no doubt wooyoung up to his usual antics) and sits in the hatch.

_the hatch_ is just like any window- it shows nothing more than the stars that shoot by and the endless abundance of debris that litters their surroundings like freckles on the face of the universe. but it's purpose serves more as a little cubbyhole away from the bustle of the ship. the humming and whirring from the _aurora_ is much louder at the bottom of the spacecraft, and as it's stationed directly next to the escape pods, a chilly draft makes the hairs on seonghwa's arms stand up through his jumpsuit. but the freshly-brewed beverage that thaws his hands and his core provides sufficient comfort as he watches the world float by, the _aurora_ on autopilot. he's blatantly ignoring the steady pips on his watch that signal his next scheduled shift in the laboratories, but he figures if one of the members really need him, they'll know where to look.

he sits there until his butt turns numb, and the stars glaze his eyes over, and the signalling beep calls him for the next shift in schedule (ironically, he's got a free period now).

the aggravation from hours ago have slowly died down into flickering embers rather than a hungry bonfire he was feeling before, and with a deep intake of breath, he goes to face the crowd. or, he decides he'll distance himself away from the crew until... whatever _this_ is (for a lack of better explanation) sorts itself out. he ruffles his hair consciously, per yeosang's request (with the anti-gravity, everyone's hair has definitely seen better days on earth, anyway) and heads back up to level one of the _aurora_ , empty flask in hand.

_chaos is erupting._

manic beeping and a sounding alarm rings through the base as each of the members scramble to the central bay.

"what's going on? what's happening?" wooyoung yells as he pockets the tools he'd accidentally taken with him. the eight of them circle the central monitors, desperation for some sort of information. a million buttons are being pressed as they check the vitals and levels of the ship, scouring for problems. they work as a singlular entity- each at a different station (two years of training are under their belts for situations like this).

"there's a gas leak- _medical_ _bay_ ," yeosang states through the madness. seonghwa and mingi look at each other; silent words are exchanged as they both head to the medical bay to see what damage has been done.

there's a slight fizzing sound, but no alarming sights of emergency. they check the entire room and it's levels and settings, and quickly come to the conclusion that one of the carbon dioxide cylinders have become slightly askew- nothing a bit of tape and wooyoung can't fix.

as if on cue, the six boys in the central bay grow silent.

and then seonghwa hears a disbelieving " _alien_ _life_?" echo from the room. _what the fuck?_

seonghwa and mingi rush back into the central bay, where the other teammates are staring at a screen with open mouths. no doubt, there are tiny little creatures, little impish squiggles, rather, that seem to be head-butting their ship, directly into the medical bay wall.

_(record scratch_. years ago (2098 A.D, to be precise), _KQSA_ had successfully discovered life outside of earth, confirming aliens to be real. whilst they aren't your stereotypical, film-like aliens, they're more commonly associated with bugs, or insects. however, _KQSA's_ 'alien life' protocol training module was little to be desired, and not the most accurate of simulations. besides, sending astronauts to space to check out life forms was highly expensive, and the government had " _much better things to do with their time and money"_ (as quoted and mocked by eden), so their collective knowledge of alien species was limited.)

"they look pretty harmless," jongho says as they watch no more than a dozen bluish-green creatures try their best to dent the _aurora_ , to no avail. they were no bigger than a finger, and seemed as harmless as a fly.

with the problem identified and panic controlled, wooyoung goes to fix the leaky carbon dioxide pipe in order to cease the sounding alarms. in less than five minutes, it's fixed, and the eight of them continue to stare at the screen showing the creatures still going at their medical bay, hell for leather.

hongjoong rummages for a sketch pad to draw the species as san and yunho search the (slim) index of already identified space life.

"do you think we'll get to name it, if it's new?" jongho questions excitedly as he awaits the pair to announce the creature isn't in the index.

sadly, wooyoung pulls out his little robot. "i've condensed a load of information into him, and a fuck ton of databases!" and with a quick little scan from a happy sirius, he reveals it's an already-discovered species of alien. they watch the family of critters slam their heads into the ship one last time, before they regroup and hit the metal together simultaneously. _teamwork_ , huh?

"what are we gonna do about them?" san wonders aloud. it's not like they can burn extra fuel to makes the ship go faster in order to lose them- they don't have that much extra petrol. if they listen intently, then can hear the the muted ping! coming from the corner of the medical bay.

"they're kinda cute," seonghwa says.

"i mean, i guess as long as they don't do any damage, then we should just let them do their thing until they get bored," hongjoong concludes, to which they all nod and hum at.

after a few more seconds, the crew finally manage tear their eyes away from the monitor (though they still let the camera focus on the species) as they carry on with their duties.

**-** **☆** **-**

eight thirty marks daily bonding time. though, it doesn't really feel like bonding, because members keeps shuffling away from seonghwa as he's trying to focus on the novel he's reading. he's floating somewhere around the middle of the living quarters, and only yeosang seems unbothered, choosing to stay next to seonghwa as he writes up his report, unlike the others.

as he studies their placements, he can see the personalities of each of his teammates shine through. whilst his commander's made a valiant attempt at bridging the obvious gap between seonghwa and the others, he's still a good foot away from him. mingi, san and yunho have made more effort in getting as far away from him as possible, however, with san and mingi shoved into the far right corner as they turn their backs away from him. even if they're not watching a movie together, or chatting noisily away about the details of their days, san's rules for 'activity bonding time' state they must all be in the same room together, even if they're not speaking.

so that's what they're doing, with the majority of the crew writing up last minute weekly reports for hongjoong to send back to the _KQSA_ earth base. the click-clacking of obnoxious computer keys fill the room with a relaxing atmosphere (it makes seonghwa reminisce trips to cafés, along with the smell of brewed coffee the members are living on). the more organised members (himself included) are either reading, or listening to music, or doing whatever hobbies they fancy. from the corner of his eye, he watches jongho's pink tongue peek out as he scribbles noisily onto a notepad ("he's writing a _book_ ," yeosang whispers, wiggling his eyebrows).

"hey mingi, can you pass me the eraser, please?" the youngest asks. the two are on opposites ends of the room, seonghwa caught in the middle. mingi looks pained upon realising he'd have to cross the eldest one way or another.

both yeosang and and seonghwa eye mingi as he nervously crosses the room, amusement twinkling in the navigator's eyes. seonghwa notices the way mingi flinches when he purposefully uncrosses his legs.

" _aish_ , just pass me the eraser!" he snaps, to which the taller obeys, gulping. seonghwa throws it to jongho who says " _thanks_!" and continues his work as an up-and-coming author.

"mingi, stop acting weird and tell me what's up," he demands, something inside him finally having enough of the day's events.

ten seconds of silence dangle between them (he counted).

"don't bully him, hyung, we all know what's up. mingi, just stop being so damn obvious about it," yeosang's smooth voice quips, calmly going back to his report.

both boys' cheeks flare up as they return to their activities, and seonghwa runs a hand through his hair subconsciously. so yeosang was _right_ , the boys are bothered by... his attractiveness? (yeosang's always right, to no surprise, anyway. he knows it, too, the smug bastard.)

the atmosphere returns to normal. until a flurry of voices pipe up again, all at once.

"okay seriously, i can't take it anymore! hyung, why do you look so good today? is it a cream? a night-care routine? come on!" all eyes are on him, and seonghwa swears a spotlight is now shining above him.

"um," he's really lost for words, "i haven't done anything." this sparks outrage and disagreement.

"you're lying! seriously, we know you've done something to your face!"

"i haven't, i swear! i swear on my life, all i've done is wash my face with water!" he argues defensively.

"you're suspicious, hyung. we'll figure out your secret soon!" san exclaims, waggling at finger in his direction. seonghwa wants to protest, but nothing comes out. so he just sticks his head back in his book, still mildly confused, and very frustrated. seriously, _what's been up with him for the past two weeks?_

the tapping of keyboards accompany the ticking of the clock, until it's nearing ten o'clock, and the first yawns are escaping tired mouths. goodnights and farewells are exchanged, along with the final " _hope you had a good birthday, hyung!_ " (to which hongjoong responds "it was the best, thanks", expression saccharine). the eight boys climb into their pods, enveloped by the comforting blankets of sleep. seonghwa closes his eyes with a short sigh.

everything will be normal tomorrow, he promises himself.

_(but life in space is rarely normal, and there's a lot more in store for the eight astronauts.)_

**—**

**♂**  
**MARS:**  
**_the planet of action, desire, energy._**  
_( see also:_ ** _MARS_** _/_ ** _ARES_** _– the god of WAR. )_  
_-_  
the planet MARS rules your passion, determination, drive and energy, urging you to **speak** **up** and get things done. it rules over your basic **physical** **attraction** and chemistry, as well as sexual desire. moreover, MARS controls your sense of **anger** , wrath and power.

**—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you want to see any particular interactions/scenarios in the book, please comment it whenever! be as indulgent as you want, though please understand if i don't include certain scenes that make me feel uncomfortable to write! i'll include as much as i can for you guys! take care <3


	8. 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗦' 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 (𝟭)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "got the universe on your side."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ouch... it's been a while, huh? take this filler chapter as i try to get a proper update out as soon as i can!!

" S **EDEN** TARY . **HOW** LING NE **ARE** R **YOU** TH . **NO** RTH SOME **THING** **SUSPICIOUS** C **OVER** TS **MY** TH **END** EAVOUR . **EYE** **READ** JUST FA **THE** R **LETTERS** GR **AND** EUR **NEWSPAPER** CUR **RE** NTRAP **PORTS** D **U** KE AB **SENT** . GATE **KEEP** ER FR **AN** TIC HAWK **EYE** **ON** E FEA **THE** R **HEAD** ING **ASSISSTANT** . T **HE** Y V **IS** IT SYR **UP** **TO** URIST **SOMETHING** . CONO **DONT** MIS **TRUST** S FUR **THE** R **NEW** TON **HEAD** PIECE S **TRAINING** **OFFICER** . **SEARCH** EF **FOR** T **MADDOX** . AD **HES** IVE SI **NEW** **STAFF** DEB **AT** E MAR **K** A **Q** UARIUM . ORTHO **DONT** IC **WORRY** ROUND **ABOUT** S MARITI **ME** . **ENROUTE** HOME **TO** WN **MARS** EILLE **NINETY** FR **EIGHT** PAY **DAYS** . S **CREW** DI **SEND** OW **THEIR** **BEST** OW **WISHES** . OVER **STAY** UN **SAFE** . PSEU **DO** A **NOT** HER **BEGIN** NING **PLANS** PER **FOR** M **THE** ME **REBELLION** **AGAINST** TIC **K** ET **Q** UICK . **NOT** HING **ENOUGH** **PEOPLE** S **WE** ET **CAN** NON **TRUST** . UP **SEND** **REPORTS** QUARTER **BACK** M **A** N EA **S** T M **A** L **P** RACTICE. **MARS** HLANDS . "

**—**

tuesdays are mail days, the days in which the eight boys write home and keep in contact with family, friends and so on. each letter (collected by hongjoong) is sent to a robot at _KQSA_ , where it's sole purpose is to scan the individual documents for any suspicious, anti- _KQSA_ implications within.

which, obviously, none of the members would ever consider including in a letter.

seonghwa decides to send some mail to his close friend EDEN, and his letter goes something like this:

 _"DEAR_ YONGKWAN-SSI,

_how are you? how's work? pretty boring without me, isn't it?_

_a lot has happened these past few weeks; too much to include in a small letter for you! i think we're getting the phone-call system installed next month, so don't miss me too much until then! i've been extremely busy, so dont expect too many letters from me, hyung!_

_tell your mother i said hi and that i hope she's well!_

_love from,_   
_your favourite dongsang, park seonghwa."_

two letters are sent to hongjoong's device from seonghwa. none the wiser, the commander sends his teammates' mail to the _KQSA_ base, where each word is scrutinised and eventually (and relievedly) deemed appropriate for send-off.

with fingers crossed and baited breath from both sender and receiver, seonghwa's letter(s) reach his adressee safely.

**—**

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on twitter @jonghocafe and wattpad @1117MIN !! take care <3


End file.
